Eat Well With Today's Veal

Today’s veal is a perfect addition to a high-protein low fat diet. Veal contains many essential vitamins and nutrients. Also, it is easy to prepare, making it a top choice for health-conscious consumers.

Veal farmers know consumers expect that the veal we eat is raised responsibly. Eat-Well Today prides itself on sourcing everything from companies that have proven best practices. Good thing farmers have embraced a set of ethical standards and code of conduct that reflects their commitment to producing safe food, providing excellent animal care, educating employees, preserving the environment and positively contributing to the local community. In addition, veal farmers are dedicated to transitioning their barns to group housing pens or pasture.

Nutritional Content: A Lean Meat

On average an Eat-Well 4oz /112g Veal Cutlet:
The leanest cuts of veal are the leg cutlet, arm steak, sirloin, rib chop, loin chop, and top round. Top round is the most expensive cut and our choice for veal cutlets. Veal is an excellent is a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus. With a variety of veal cuts available at a range of prices, veal is affordable in everyone's budget.

The Veal Story

There has always been controversy swirling around the humane production of veal. The production of veal has been greatly improved in recent times. Farmers world-wide have committed to humane treatment which includes the care, handling and feeding of the calves. The practice of raising calves in dark restrictive crates is now all but eradicated in the US and Canada where all our veal comes from.

In General

• Eat-Well Today gets most of our veal from Pennsylvania and Indiana where most of our pork comes from. Veal in the US and Canada use no antibiotics or hormones ever. Veal has typically been raised in states with dairy farms. Today, you can find most veal farms in the Northeast (Pennsylvania and New York) and the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin). Eat-Well Today sources from PA, NY and IA.

• Veal farmers purchase dairy calves (primarily male Holstein calves) at about 100 pounds live weight and raise them for approximately 18-20 weeks until they weigh upward of 475-500 pounds.

• A typical veal farm is a small family farm that raises approximately 200 calves.

• Veal farming contributes $650-$700 million annually to the U.S. economy, and $250 million to the dairy sector through purchases of dairy byproducts and calves.

And What About the Biggest Issue: Housing?

• Veal farmers raise calves in barns, where they are protected from weather, predators and disease.

• Veal barns have overhead artificial lighting or receive natural sunlight through windows. Producers house their calves in properly lit barns to make it possible to monitor the calves regularly, feed them and keep them clean. Typical veal barns are also heated during cold months and have year-round ventilation to provide clean, fresh air.

• Many farmers have adopted group housing methods to provide the same level of individual care as in traditional barns.

• Individual housing in a modern veal farm allows animals to receive their own feed, individual care and attention.

• Individual stalls maximize the quality of individual care farmers and veterinarians can give the calves. Also, most importantly, minimizing calf-to-calf contact is the best prevention against disease eliminating the use of antibiotics.

• Calves in individual housing can comfortably lie down in a natural position, stand up, groom themselves and interact with neighbors.

• Modern veal production utilizes an "all in/all out" standard - a herd-health measure that limits the calves' exposure to disease.

There are many farmers now pasture raising veal in response to the grass-fed movement. There are challenges of course with this method. Let’s not forget why we love veal to begin with. Veal is tender and mild and has a very specific texture that is the result of feed and housing techniques. Letting calves run around the pasture eating grass toughens them up and changes the flavor profile dramatically. Chefs overwhelmingly prefer formula-fed barn raised because it tastes better. Eat-Well Today loves the direction of the industry on the whole. Humanely raising calves while capturing the flavor and texture is a great place to start and we source from those farms with best practices.

The 2nd Biggest Issue Is Diet

Typical veal farms are family-run and have adopted animal husbandry practices recommended by veterinarians and leading animal scientists. Those farms also use modern technology and best management practices to provide proper nutrition to calves.

• Veal calves receive diets designed to provide all of the 40 essential nutrients they need, including important amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins.

• In the formula-fed diet, research shows that calves must receive diets with iron to meet the animals' requirements for normal health and behavior. Nutritional standards are established by a number of government agencies and professional organizations.

• With a milk-based diet, formula-fed calves remain pre-ruminant. Once a calf is fed grain, the meat develops the strong flavor commonly associated with beef thanks to the rumination process. Fermentation in the rumen causes meat to change texture and flavor.

Grain-fed calves are commonly known as "red-veal." Eat-Well Today carries Red Veal as well as formula–fed. Red Veal can be very excellent if the calves are close to 20 weeks at slaughter. Red-Veal is a great choice where housing (open space) and diet (grass-fed) are a priority.

So What's The Difference?

There are 3 types of veal.

*The most expensive veal is “Special fed Nature Veal” which is milk/formula fed from birth and is processed under 20 weeks. Before 1990 this type of veal was vilified with cause because it was raised in the dark restrictive and inhumane crates most of us have come to associate veal with. This is no longer the case. This is the best veal you can buy and is tender, mild, delicious and light pink in color.

* The second kind of veal is from grain fed calves also known as pasture-raised. They are processed at about 5 months and are not as tender or mild in flavor. In fact they have a mild beef taste whereas the Nature Veal has very mild taste chefs love because they mold the flavor profile any way they want while using a very tender very low fat piece of meat. The grain fed is redder in color and less expensive but widely used and a reasonable substitute if money is a factor or the recipe calls for a beefier profile.

* The third is “bob” veal. This is low cost veal you would find in chain restaurants or dinners. You wouldn't find this veal at Eat-Well Today or any fine dining establishment or butcher. “Bob” veal is pretty much newborn about a week old and tasteless as the calf hasn’t eaten anything yet. “Bob” veal is not an option for Eat-Well or our clients.