Veal is a popular dish in many cultures, especially among the Irish, Italians, and Germans. Veal is a delicious and tender meat prepared in a variety of ways and dishes, from the favorite Italian dish Osso Bucco to the popular German staple Wiener schnitzel. Despite being loved by millions, veal is a food that creates significant economic, political, and environmental consequences. This stems primarily from the fact that veal is a meat derived from baby calves between four months to a year old (What 1). Many objections exist to eating veal by critics who maintains its production is unethical. This analysis will discuss the political, economic, and environmental issues associated with eating veal.
Economically, veal is very popular because it is much softer in texture than beef and is an extremely tender and flavorful meat. However, the manner of producing veal has created an economic backlash against producers of the meat because of objections about ethics. Young calves are separated from their mother within 24 hours and confined to an uncomfortably small crate where they are fed a diet to purposefully induce the white color associated with veal. As Conlon (1) describes it, "Most white veal that winds up on the nation's dinner tables comes from calves raised in total confinement. Isolated in narrow stalls for their whole lives. Unable to turn around. Denied roughage." Many people have banned eating veal because of such objections. This has resulted in more producers turning to "free-range" production of veal, where calves remain with their mothers and roam freely most of the time (What 1). However, anemia is still induced in the calves to give the veal its white color.
Politically, there has been great controversy and outcry over the production methods associated with veal. Nations like the U.K. have implemented a government-sponsored program called "The Good Veal Campaign," to distinguish...