Meat products are an important part in our daily diet, providing valuable nutrients for the human body. However, heating processes cause the meat to become more appetizing with changes in texture, appearance, flavor, and chemical properties by the altering of protein structure and other ingredients. As one kind of cooking-induced contaminants, heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are widely present in protein aceous food products with strong carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. In order to promote the safety of traditional meat products, this review focused on the formation, metabolism, biological monitoring and inhibitory mechanism of HAA. An overview of the formation pathways, hazards, and control methods of HAAs during food processing in recent years was studied, aiming to provide some valuable information for exploring effective methods to inhibit the production of associated hazards during food processing. Systematic selection of different types of flavonoids to explore their effects on the formation of HAAs in an actual barbecue system can provide theoretical reference for effectively controlling the formation of HAAs and reducing their harm to human health.