The presence of microorganisms in food is predictable, which causes significant threat to the public health. Staphylococcus aureus is one such foodborne bacterial pathogen that cuses various foodborne outbreaks worldwide. The incidence of S. aureus in food samples is common and it has been characterized as economically important foodborne bacterial pathogens. In the present study, the incidence of S. aureus was investigated in various ready to eat meat products (n=100) purchased from retail market in Chennai.