Escherichia coli is widely distributed in the digestive systems of warm-blooded living beings humans and warm-blooded animals, its presence is used as a main indicator for fecal environment contamination in and for food quality control. The human organism is a complex ecosystem and coexists with an invisible, extremely complex community of microorganisms. Escherichia coli, the number of which, among other representatives of intestinal microflora, does not exceed 1%, play a crucial role in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. This article is a review of bibliographic sources addressing the importance of Escherichia coli bacteria from the intestinal microbiome for the human body. In this paper we also address the links between environmental Escherichia coli and food safety. The paper reflects the diversity of Escherichia coli strains, their correlations with certain pathologies, and the contribution of commensal Escherichia coli strains to the maintenance of health. In this article we also discuss the relationship between Escherichia coli and the composition of food ration.