The world demand for food in parallel with environmental concerns is a paradigm for the competitiveness of agro-industrial production chains. The present study intended to propose insights on the contribution of innovation and competitiveness in meat production chains. A systematic review of the literature was carried out, considering manuscripts published in the Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct databases. Based on the search and exclusion criteria, the analyzed portfolio consisted of 18 works related to the main animal production chains (i.e. pork, chicken, beef, and sheep). The results obtained include three theoretical constructs, under which the studies of competitiveness and innovation in meat production chains were based, namely: (1) institutional environment; (2) business capacity; and (3) consumer behavior. These are composed of a posteriori variables, which have influences in the innovation and competitiveness of such systems, meeting the postulate by the literature.