Meat, in its broadest modern definition, is all animal tissue intended to be used as food. In this context, it not only refers to muscle tissue, but also includes fat or non-muscle organs, including lungs, livers, tongues, skin, brains, marrow, and kidneys. Animals that consume only meat are carnivores.

Within the human diet, meat has a more specific meaning. For the most part, it is the flesh, or soft tissue, of any animal, consisting especially of the skeletal muscle and fat covering the bones. However, the word meat is typically used in reference to the flesh of livestock (chickens, pigs, cows, etc.) raised and butchered for human consumption, often to the exclusion of seafood, poultry, game and insects, although this usage may be considered a semantic faux pas.

The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing and distribution of meat for human consumption in most developed countries.