Lactates, salts of lactic acid, have high reaction ability and create no risk for the health of the consumers; they are therefore recommended to be used as additives to maintain the microbiological safety and increase the shelf-life of food products. Antimicrobial effect of lactates has been investigated in meat and meat products; and they have been reported to be effective against many pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. In addition to the antimicrobial effects, it has been reported that they improve the sensorial characteristics like colour, texture and flavour of the products and also exhibit an antioxidant effect. In this review, the many positive effects of lactic acid salts as additives on meat and meat products have been evaluated referring to many studies on the subject.