Food safety has been a concern due to the excessive use of pesticides. The development of rapid and sensitive detection tools for these molecules is a growing topic of study. Fluorescent nanocomposites of quantum dots of cadmium sulfide (CdS QDs) and polymer matrices of chitosan, carboxymethylcellulose and pectin were obtained; their optical properties allowed to obtain fluorescent thin films and fluorescent paper by impregnation. The fluorescent nanocomposites in solution got to detect glyphosate in the range of 1-100 µg/mL; and the fluorescent paper showed a good color response at 10 and 100 µg/mL, based on the analyzed of red, green and blue intensity (RGB color values). Both nanocomposites of chitosan and pectin, in solution and on paper exhibited a behavior 'turn-on' sensor, while carboxymethylcellulose as a 'turn-off' sensor. The films obtained should be improved to interact with aqueous systems. The methodology development is an attractive strategy to obtain fluorescent sensors on different presentations for visual detection of pesticides.