Antibiotics, which are indispensable to ensure the health and welfare of food of animal origin, are used in the treatment of sick animals, in the prevention and control of epidemics. When antibiotics are not fully metabolized in the organism and can not be excreted, they can threaten public health by causing residues in foods of animal origin and by causing antibiotic resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, tissue damage such as gastrointestinal disorders, neurological damage and anaphylactic shock in humans. In addition, consumption of animal origin foods containing residues may exhibit teratogenic and carcinogenic effects apart from acute diseases. In this review, antibiotic residues in foods of animal origin and and their risks were evaluated regarding public health.