Review article
https://doi.org/10.31727/m.28.4.1
The quality of meat and the very idea of slaughter: how to reconcile what seems irreconcilable
Beniamino Cenci-Goga
orcid.org/0000-0002-3993-6258
; University of Perugia, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Perugia, Italy
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
More than a century after Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, slaughterhouses continue to occupy a difficult symbolic place in public debate, even though the technological, hygienic, and regulatory frameworks governing modern meat production have changed profoundly. Contemporary slaughterhouses are highly organized industrial environments in which animal welfare, food safety, operator training, and traceability are addressed through codified procedures and official controls. At the same time, slaughter remains ethically contentious because it lies at the intersection of human nutrition, animal welfare, religious freedom, and consumer autonomy. This paper discusses how the concept of meat quality has expanded beyond physicochemical and hygienic attributes to include social, ethical, and informational dimensions, particularly in relation to slaughter methods and consumer expectations. Special attention is given to ritual slaughter in Europe and Italy, where slaughter without prior stunning remains legally possible under specific derogations for religious rites, while public concern persists regarding welfare implications and the marketing of meat from such animals in the conventional market. Slaughterhouse data are also considered as an epidemiological and welfare observatory, capable of providing information on carcass lesions, condemnations, contamination pathways, antimicrobial resistance, and zoonotic risks that are relevant to both veterinary public health and food business management. Reconciling the apparent contradiction between slaughter and welfare requires not rhetorical simplification but a rigorous, evidence-based framework in which welfare indicators, process hygiene, traceability, and transparent information coexist with cultural and religious pluralism.
Keywords
meat quality; slaughterhouse; animal welfare; ritual slaughter; labelling; meat inspection; food safety; traceability
Hrčak ID:
349755
URI
Publication date:
25.7.2026.
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