Abstract: In recent years, with the increasing variety of meat products and the optimization of processing technologies for meat products, the pollution risk of foodborne pathogens at all steps of meat processing is increasing. How to effectively prevent and control foodborne pathogens is a focus of concern in meat research and the meat industry. As a biological antibacterial substance that can replace traditional bacteriostatic agents, bacteriophage has drawn wide attention from researchers; however, its application in the meat industry has not yet been summarized and evaluated comprehensively. Therefore, the advantages and safety of bacteriophages are reviewed in this article. Also, the current status of the application of bacteriophage in the prevention and control of foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in raw meat and meat products under different conditions of temperature, multiplicity of infection, preparation composition, and meat product type is summarized in details. Moreover, future directions for the application of bacteriophage in protecting the safety of meat and its products are presented. In a practical point of view, the information gathered in this article will provide a reference for further application of bacteriophage in the field of meat food safety.

Key words: bacteriophage; foodborne pathogens; food safety; meat