Meat and meat products constitute an important component of the diet for several populations around the world and fulfill various nutritional requirements of the human body. However, owing to the inherent characteristics of meat - including its susceptibility to oxidation and contamination with foodborne pathogens - meat and meat products perish easily. In recent years, with improvements in living standards and increased focus on nutrition and health among consumers, non-thermal food processing technologies have received increasing attention. Among these strategies, cold plasma (CP) technology has emerged as a promising and novel processing technique with substantial potential in preserving meat and meat products. In this review, we discussed and analyzed the effects of CP on the nutritional value, sensory quality, and safety of meat and meat products, particularly, the potential toxicological hazards. Furthermore, we provided a detailed introduction to the mechanisms about how CP affects microorganisms, highlighting its role in inducing apoptosis and inhibiting quorum sensing. In the base of these theoretical foundations, this paper proposed several practical recommendations in order to optimize CP technology. Finally, we summarized the potential applications of CP in meat preservation, aiming to establish a theoretical framework for further research and application of this technology.