VEAL

'Veal' is the culinary name for meat from young calves (usually male) appreciated for its delicate taste and tender texture.

Contents

Types

Nutrition

Culinary uses

Production

Housing

Popular culture

References

External links

Types

There are three types of veal:

★ 'Bob Veal', from calves that are slaughtered when only a few days to 150 lbs. (USA only)^[1]

★ 'Formula-Fed (or "milk-fed") veal', from calves that are raised on a nutritionally complete milk formula supplement. The meat colour is ivory or creamy pink, with a firm, fine and velvety appearance. Usually marketed as veal when they reach 18-20 weeks of age (450-500 lbs). ^[2]

★ 'Non-Formula-Fed ("red" or "grain-fed") ^[3] veal', from calves that are raised on grain, hay or other solid food in addition to milk. The meat is darker in colour, and some additional marbling and fat may be apparent. Usually marketed as calf rather than veal at 5-6 months of age (650-700 lbs).

Veal is often compared to beef but is lighter in colour and finer in texture. Veal and beef, however have little in common. Veal usually comes from a (male) dairy calf.
The veal industry's support for the dairy industry goes beyond the purchase of surplus calves. It also buys large amounts of milk by-products. Almost 70% of veal feeds (by weight) are milk products. Most popular are whey and whey protein concentrate (WPC ) by-products of the manufacture of cheese. Milk by-products are sources of protein and lactose (energy). Skim milk powder, casein, buttermilk powder and other forms of milk by-products are used from time to time. Buttermilk is the liquid which remains after the fat in cream is turned into butter. ^[4]

Nutrition

★ Veal is lean. In addition, it is low in sodium, and an excellent choice for sodium restricted diets.

★ Veal is an source of B-complex vitamins. Veal has the advantage that little of the vitamins are lost during preparation (cooking).

★ Veal contains very little fat, not more than 10 grams of fat per 100 grams, many of them unsaturated fats and because of this, veal is considered very lean.

★ Veal has a balanced amino acid profile containing "proteins of a high quality" and are the most similar like human proteins.

★ Veal is a good source of iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, fluoride and zinc.

Culinary uses

'Veal' has been an important ingredient in Italian and French cuisine since ancient times. The veal is often in the form of cutlets, such as the Italian cotoletta or the famous Austrian dish wiener schnitzel. As veal is lower in fat than many meats, care must be taken in preparation to ensure that it does not become tough.
In addition to providing meat, the bones of calves are used to make a stock that forms the base for sauces and soups such as demi-glace. The stomachs are also used to produce rennet, used in the production of cheese.

Production

Before the 1960s, milk-fed veal was raised primarily by the dairy farmer as a method of gaining some economic advantage from the many bull calves born each year that were not required for breeding. It was not long until the farmer found that raising this young animal and meeting the specific needs of the calf proved challenging in the midst of the mature cattle members of his herd.
Early producers found that a separate micro-climate was the only means of raising a calf through the perils of early growth. The growing stall was thus born. In the beginning these separated growing areas were almost totally enclosed. This was thought to curtail the spread of disease and provide a clean and comfortable environment in which the calf could flourish.
Mortality was reduced substantially and produced a high-class product. As time and management philosophy developed the stall was changed. It became larger and more open. The stall also provided an opportunity for individual handling of the calf, which has been an important contribution to learn and understand the veal calf and its requirements. However, many animal welfare activists oppose the use of these crates. Veal crates were banned in the UK under the 1987 "Welfare of Calves Regulations" atc, which came into effect in 1990, and throughout the European Union from 2007.
There have been some controversy in veal raising methods over the years, including housing, use of antibiotics and hormones. In Europe these issues have all been addressed. In North America there has been a general lag in these areas but there are no use of hormones now and use of antibiotics follows withdrawal guidelines. This is actively monitored by government agencies. The housing issue is being addressed. ^[5].The AVA ( American Veal Association) announced in 2007 the phasing out of "crates". The tethering of calves in the USA was mostly due to economics as the cost of housing is reduced. This made veal raising viable for a family farming operation.
In North America, there has been a recent move to more group housing although it has been used since 1981 in various forms.^[6]

Housing

There are three different methods of housing calves that are used predominantly in the North American veal industry. Calves are housed in either hutches, stalls, or group pens.^[7]
'Hutches'


★ These are white, domed, igloo-like structures that some farmers use as outdoor "nurseries".

★ The hutch keeps the young calves isolated from other calves when they are most vulnerable to transmissible disease.

★ Individual attention is paid to the calf, keeping an eye on feed consumption and health.

★ Hutches act like an incubator, keeping the calf in a warm environment.

★ Calves have the freedom to move around within the hutch and are usually bedded on a warm pack of straw.

★ Water and feeding stations are present within the hutch so that the calf can freely choose to eat or drink.

★ From here, calves are moved to either a stall system or group pens.
'Stalls'


★ Stalls allow the veal producer to pay individual attention to the calves.

★ The calf is fed individually so the farmer knows how much a particular calf has eaten.

★ Feed monitoring is especially important to the producer to monitor production costs, calf health, and feed conversion rates. For example, a producer will be aware of potential calf health problems since one of the first signs of illness will be reduced feed intake.

★ The calf's feed source is kept clean preventing calves from defecating in and then ingesting contaminated feed.

★ The calf is able to stand up, lie down, stretch out, groom itself and interact with others.
'Group Housing'


★ Calves have more room to move around and have more social contact with pen mates.

★ Special pen designs can be created to allow for rest areas where calves can get away from the main group.

Popular culture

★ Veal is the subject of the ''South Park'' episode "Fun With Veal".

★ Marge Simpson disgusted a restaurant waiter by ordering veal in ''The Simpsons'', episode 2F01.

References

1. Calves and antibiotic residues
2. milk-fed veal definition
3. Grain-Fed definition in Recommended Code of Practice for Raising Farm Animals
4. Veal could be sold from the dairy case -Delft Blue
5. Statement on American Veal Association’s Veal Crate Announcement
6. Veal Evolution
7. Learning more about Veal Calf housing

External links

★ Veal Farm — Information about the Veal Industry in the USA.

★ Ontario Veal Association — Information about Ontario Veal Industry in Canada.

★ Frequently Asked Questions of the American Veal Farming Industry

★ Thinking Outside the Box — an article about Dutch veal farming from ''Beef'' magazine.

★ No Veal — Farm Sanctuary's anti-veal campaign.

★ Veal Information Gateway — Information on methods of veal calf raising, and links to veal recipes.

★ Veal Recipes — A collection of recipes for several different cuts of veal.

★ The Economic Consequences of Adopting Alternative Production Systems to Veal Crates — A report exploring the cost of abandoning veal crates from the Humane Society of the United States