Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 6 4 2021 10 05 235 242 Patricia Tatemoto Center for Comparative Studies in Sustainability, Health and Welfare, school of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, USP - University of São Paulo, 13635-900 Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil Vanessa Louise Santos Oliveira Federal University of Piauí, Bom Jesus, Piauí, Brazil David Attuy Vey da Silva Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany Marco Túlio Costa Almeida Federal University of Espírito Santo, Alegre, Espírito Santo, Brazil 2021 06 10 2021 08 21 In livestock, biosecurity, animal welfare and meat quality have a synergetic effect on the final product. To meet minimal safety and humane production, it is necessary to consider biosecurity risks and procedures to mitigate animal welfare problems. Following guidelines to achieve it, the meat quality improves consequently. Here we tested two parameters regarding the meat quality of beef cattle to understand how the poor inspection affects the quality of the final product. Therefore, 12 samples of the longissimus dorsi muscle were evaluated from different butcheries, using fresh meat recently received by the supplier. There were no sanitary inspection records related to the sampled meat. The results showed a large percentage of PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) and DFD (dark, firm, and dry) meats. Given the pH and color values, it is concluded that the slaughtering was not carried out properly. Hence, technological defects in the meat were observed, making it inappropriate for consumption. We concluded that inefficient pre-slaughter handling is compromising animal welfare, increasing the biosecurity risk, and impairing the quality of the final product. We argue that these problems not only decrease the sustainability of livestock systems but also compromises human health. Currently, livestock plays an important role in global environmental concerns, such as climate change, land degradation, water pollution and biodiversity loss. Then, it is needed to reduce the waste of such products. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/309 https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/download/309/152