Grain & Milk Fed Veal
Why Choose Ontario Veal?
“Professional chefs (or those who want to cook like one) know that truly memorable meals start with the best, freshest ingredients. Ontario veal’s unparalleled taste and texture create an experience that can’t be duplicated with other meats. Beyond the sensory delights of Ontario veal, it is a versatile, high-quality protein source with an outstanding nutrition profile that it is produced with pride and care by local farm families.
Ontario produces both milk-fed and grain-fed veal, each with its own unique flavour profile. The milk-fed is light pink in colour, very tender with a subtle taste. Grain-fed veal is a darker pink, also very tender but with a mild beef flavour. In both cases Ontario veal tends to absorb the flavours it is cooked with making it the perfect canvas on which to paint your favourite seasonings and sauces.
Ontario Veal has a vast assortment of available cuts that can be, among other things, grilled, sautéed, braised, roasted, slow-cooked and pan-fried. Because of its subtle character which tends to take on the flavours it is cooked with, Ontario veal is also a lean alternative in recipes calling for other meats.
Ontario veal is a delicious, lean, nutrient-packed, high-quality protein that is an ideal choice for today’s healthier lifestyle needs. In fact, compared to other meats such as pork, beef and chicken, all veal cuts are extra lean (7.5 g of fat or less per 100 g portion) and contain a very low amount of saturated fat.
Veal is also an excellent source of iron, zinc and Vitamin B12 which are essential for overall good health including physical and mental performance, infection resistance and proper growth respectively.
Choosing Ontario veal for your family makes it easy to follow Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating which recommends eating two to three servings of ‘Meat and Alternatives” each day and stresses the importance of making lean food choices, such as veal.”
Nutrition Comparison: 100 g portion cooked, lean only
| 100 g portion | Calories | Protein (g) |
Carbohydrate (g) |
Total Fat (g) |
Iron (mg) |
Zinc (mg) |
B12 (mcg) |
| Veal Cutlet Pan fried†** |
183 | 37 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 4.6 | 3.3 |
| Veal Blade Steak Braised†** |
193 | 34 | 0 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 9.8 | 3.1 |
| Veal Rib Chop Roasted†** |
188 | 31 | 0 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 2.6 |
| Veal Shoulder Roast Roasted†** |
170 | 31 | 0 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 7.3 | 3.6 |
| Chicken Breast Skinless, roasted* |
159 | 33 | 0 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 |
| Beef Top Sirloin Steak Broiled* |
186 | 29 | 0 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 2.9 |
| Pork Leg Butt End Roasted* |
207 | 31 | 0 | 8.0 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| Fish – Halibut Broiled* |
140 | 26 | 0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.08 |
Source:
*Canadian Nutrient File, 1997
†Nutrient Composition Ontario and Quebec Grain Fed and Milk Fed Veal, 2000
** The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check™ Program is your assurance that this product meets specific nutrient criteria based on Canada’s Food Guide. These cuts of meat are lean. Choosing leaner meats is part of healthy eating. The Ontario Veal Association financially supports the Health Check™ education program. This is not an endorsement. See www.health check.org
Facts About Veal
- “ext to beef, veal calves – at up to 318 kg (700 lbs.) – are the second largest animal that farmers raise.
- A 272 kg (600 lbs.) veal calf will eat 6.8 kg (15 lbs.) of grain (corn) every day and will drink anywhere from five to 30 L (7.9 gal.) of water a day depending on its size.
- Ontario raises approximately 40 per cent of Canada’s veal calves.
- In essence the veal industry arose as a by product of the dairy industry, as a means to take those unwanted calves and produce a premium food item.
- Far from the myth of baby cows in small pens kept in dark rooms, modern Ontario veal production uses various housing methods and complete diets to raise calves to approximately 295 to 318 kg (650 to 700 lbs.).
Milk-fed veal calves fed a diet consisting of:
- Milk replacer, a liquid milk-based diet similar to infant formula
- Water
- Some roughage, such as coarse grains
- Vitamins, minerals and protein supplements
Grain-fed veal calves fed a diet consisting of:
- Milk or milk replacer for the first six to eight weeks
- Water
- Roughage such as hay
- Vitamins, minerals and protein supplements
- Corn-based grain feed
Benefits of Veal as quoted from http://www.ontariovealappeal.ca/choose.php
