Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA) might be present in cooked meats, and are formed via the Maillard reaction having creatine, creatinine, amino acids and sugars as precursors. The most common are 2-amino-3-methyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), 2-amino-3-methyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxylanine(IQx), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo [4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxylanine (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo [4,5-f]quinoxaline (4,8 -DiMeIQx) and 2-amino-1methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). IARC classifies IQ as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A), MeIQ, MeIQx and PhIP as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of IQ, IQx, MeIQ, MeIQx, DiMeIQx and PhIP in ready-to-eat foods prepared with beef and chicken, with the aim of determining the levels of exposure of the population of the city of Ribeirão Preto to these compounds, through the ingestion of selected foods. Volunteers (n=386) over 18 years of age answered a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (QFFQ)and one hundred samples (n=100) were collected in local restaurants, twenty-five samples of each type: grilled beef, charcoal grilled beef, grilled chicken and breaded and fried chicken. HAA concentrations were determined by an analytical method employing Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). The sum of HAA concentrations varied between