Health Alert: 60% of Casablanca’s Red Meat Bypasses Safety Inspections

A threat to the health of red meat consumers in Casablanca. Trucks transporting red meat from informal weekly markets now have direct access to butcher shops in the metropolis, without being subject to the health requirements of the regulations in force, report Casablanca butchers and intermediaries to the Arabic-language daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, denouncing the laxity of the City Council. According to them, 60% of the red meat consumption in Casablanca would come from the informal markets. Even more serious, several hotels in the city, international chain brands, as well as restaurants are turning away from the city’s slaughterhouses and prefer to source from clandestine slaughterhouses. Thus, meat of questionable quality is served to customers.

The development of these clandestine networks specialized in the marketing of red meats from clandestine slaughtering in the popular neighborhoods of Derb Ghallef and Oulfa, in Casablanca, and that of Chellalat, in the nearby city of Mohammedia, has led to a drop in production at the Casablanca slaughterhouses, explained an industry professional. The butcher shops in these neighborhoods practice attractive, very low prices compared to those practiced in the slaughterhouses to attract customers. And their marketing works. Many Casablancans rush to their stalls, endangering their health.