Rose Veal

Veal is well known as one of the cruelest practices to animals (though you could argue that egg laying hens is even worse largely b/c it's so bad and so much more pervasive). I personally have given up the idea that people will give up meat. The only thing we can hope for is that people will eat meat in moderation, and will actually care how their meat was raised. Veal is one of the most important places to focus. And time has shown that perception (and perhaps reality) matter. Animal rights boycotts a few decades ago brought photos of confined calves drinking formula and horrified much of the public. In the past half-century, while consumption of meat has increased, consumption of veal has dropped from an average (in America) of four pounds per year to only about 1/2 a pound a year. There have been advances in the treatment of calves raised for veal. Some veal producers keep calves in pens away from access to their mothers' milk but able to roam somewhat freely. Certain countries ban the insanely small confinement that was the standard practice for these calves and require minimum space at least (otherwise the animals cannot even turn around). But a newer, more sustainable and far more ethical form of veal is slowly gaining popularity: rose veal. (Read more about it here, here or here.)

Traditional veal is white colored. It is considered tender but many view it as lacking much flavor. The white color comes from iron deficiencies in the calves. When a calf has healthy iron levels, its meat is a pink color. Calves traditionally consume milk from their mothers. Traditional veal is deprived of this entirely. But there are other options. Sustainable farmers are increasingly offering veal calves raised on pastures with their mothers, consuming their mother's milk and grasses as nature intended. They live a natural life as a young cow normally would. Yes, their lives are cut short, but all animals are slaughtered the moment they reach a marketable weight, often very early in their lives (though still short -- often not longer than 6 months). The meat is considered extremely tender and significantly more flavorful than traditional veal. Additionally, as with any beef raised on pastures versus industrial farming, the pastured meat is much healthier (among other reasons, it tends to be raised without chemical additives in food, steroid use or antibiotic use absent medical necessity). If you want to eat veal, this is a good choice. Rose veal can also be called meadow veal, red veal, suckled veal, or any name that indicates that the calf was pastured (pastured veal, grass-fed veal or even free-range veal). While not necessarily so trustworthy, some encouragement can be gotten from labels that have developed such as "certified humane". In reality, you'll be able to find this at some restaurants, but for now mostly at farmer's markets or places that specifically cater to customers looking for pastured meats.