Shafaq News- Baghdad
A case involving wild-boar meat sold as livestock meat in Najaf has unsettled some consumers in Baghdad, with residents interviewed by Shafaq News saying they have temporarily reduced purchases of red and minced meat and turned instead to chicken.
The case began in early September, when security forces arrested the owner of a butcher shop in Al-Abbasiyah in Kufa district after he was accused of hunting wild boars, slaughtering them and selling the meat to customers as livestock meat.
On September 14, the Najaf Criminal Court sentenced the butcher to 10 years in prison after authorities found 75 kilograms of pork unfit for human consumption in his possession.
The ruling was issued under Resolution No. 146 of 1998, which criminalizes selling dog, donkey or other meat unfit for human consumption while presenting it as sheep, cattle or other meat.
Legal and constitutional expert Habib Al-Quraishi told Shafaq News that Iraqi law does not explicitly criminalize the sale of pork itself, despite its prohibition under Islamic law.
He said the offense in the Najaf case concerned fraud, the sale of meat unfit for human consumption and presenting it to buyers as livestock meat.
In a working-class neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, butcher Abu Kamal said the case had quickly affected sales, describing what he called a “near-total reluctance” among some of his regular customers.
“The spread of details about the pork case and the involvement of a butcher caused a clear slowdown in business,” he told Shafaq News. “Many customers have started asking where the meat comes from and checking for the official veterinary stamp to make sure they are not being deceived.”
Abu Kamal linked the mistrust to “insufficient” regular and surprise inspections of butcher shops, as well as violations at slaughterhouses.
He said the fallout had hurt not only violators but also shop owners who follow health and regulatory requirements.
Concerns surrounding the issue also prompted scrutiny of a separate case in Nasiriyah.
On Sunday, the Dhi Qar Health Directorate said laboratory tests conducted in Baghdad on meat seized from a restaurant confirmed that it was spoiled and unfit for human consumption but was not pork. Local media had previously reported that 200 kilograms of pork had been found at the restaurant.
For some households, the Najaf case has changed buying habits. Um Maryam, 38, said she had stopped buying red and minced meat regardless of type or price because she no longer trusted its source.
“I have had to use chicken for our main dishes, even though it has become more expensive, because I want food I feel comfortable serving and do not want to risk buying meat that is religiously prohibited,” she told Shafaq News.
She called for tougher inspections of butcher shops, slaughterhouses and restaurants, saying such cases involved more than commercial fraud. “They affect people’s beliefs and their trust in the food being sold to them,” she said.
Psychology professor Sana Al-Daghistani said food or medicine fraud can have effects beyond financial losses or physical harm, influencing consumers’ mental state and purchasing behavior. “The consumer feels deceived by the seller or by those responsible for supplying and distributing food,” Al-Daghistani told Shafaq News. “The impact becomes greater when religiously prohibited meat is sold as ordinary meat.” She said a loss of trust can lead to anxiety and heightened scrutiny of product origins and safety.
Pairing the exposure of fraud with effective enforcement and penalties proportionate to the offense, she added, could help restore consumer confidence in markets and regulatory authorities.
The effect has also reached some restaurant customers. University student Sama Al-Taie said the Najaf case had prompted her and several classmates to avoid small restaurants that rely heavily on meat in fast-food meals.
“We have started choosing simple foods without meat because we cannot know where the meat used in some restaurants comes from or whether it has been inspected,” she told Shafaq News.