Veal
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Veal is a culinary term for meat produced from the calves of cattle.
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[edit] Veal and its culinary uses
There are three types of veal:
- "bob" veal, from calves that are slaughtered when only a few days old[1]
- formula-fed (or "milk-fed") veal, from calves that are raised in confinement on a solely liquid diet
- non-formula-fed (or "red") veal, from calves that are raised on grain, hay or other solid food in addition to milk.
Veal production is a contentious matter (Julia Child remarked in her The Way to Cook that non-formula-fed veal ought to be called calf), but the meat 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.
[edit] Veal production: the controversy
Veal is essentially a by-product of dairy farming. Dairy cows must regularly produce calves in order to continue to produce milk. The result is that more female calves are born than can be raised into dairy cows; bull calves have no commercial use except as veal.
While all veal production is contentious, the humane movement is most concerned with formula-fed calves. These are traditionally raised in crates that restrict physical movement in order to minimize the growth of tough muscle fiber and to keep the flesh white and tender. The finest veal meat comes from unweaned calves. Formula-fed veal farming is universally condemned by animal rights activists and others concerned with animal welfare. It is frequently cited as one of the worst examples of large-scale industrial animal farming and is banned in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] Nevertheless, the UK still attracts criticism from animal rights groups on the ground that it exports a large number of young veal cows to the Netherlands, where farming law is more relaxed and where most European veal production is centered.
The remaining members of the European Union — including Italy, where veal is extremely popular — will ban the use of veal crates and anæmia-inducing diets from 2007.[2]
On November 7, 2006, Arizona voters approved Proposition 204, the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act, making that state the first in the U.S. to prohibit the use of veal crates. Several other states are considering similar legislation.
The health risk to consumers posed by drugs administered to farm animals is not unique to the veal industry but this has attracted particular attention. Critics allege that producers compensate for unhealthy living conditions by administering tranquilising medication and high levels of antibiotics. However, while illegal administration of antibiotics (particularly neomycin) is on the rise[citation needed], administration of tranquilising medication is neither widespread nor documented in any credible scientific literature. Recent studies indicate that health threats caused by consumption of antibiotics in veal pose only a small risk to humans.[3][4]
Advocates for the veal industry counter that modern farms provide clean, well-lit and well-ventilated environments with enough room for calves to "stand, stretch, groom themselves and lay down in a natural position."[5] Industry advocates also assert that, as veal calves are typically at risk of becoming anæmic — resulting in weakness and loss of appetite — modern farmers feed calves a diet with sufficent, carefully controlled amounts of iron.[6].
[edit] References
- ^ Calves and antibiotic residues
- ^ European Union Council Directive 91/629/EEC. European Union. Retrieved on September 29, 2006.
- ^ Does the use of antibiotics in food animals pose a risk to human health? A critical review of published data. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Retrieved on December 25, 2005.
- ^ Medicated milk replacers can cause illegal residues in veal calves. Retrieved on December 25, 2005.
- ^ VealFAQs. Dutch Valley Veal Company, subsidiary of Brown Packing Company Inc.. Retrieved on August 20, 2006.
- ^ Welcome to Veal Farm : Industry Information : Frequently Asked Questions:. American Veal Association. Retrieved on August 20, 2006.
[edit] External links
- 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 raising, veal recipes in Canada.
- 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
