These days, veal calves are treated more humanely. Are we ready to embrace veal’s sustainable—and flavorful—attributes on the menu?
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more successful animal cruelty boycott campaign in the U.S. than that of veal 30 years ago. As late as the 1960s, Americans were eating about four pounds of veal each year on average—in such luxurious forms as blanquette de veau, breaded cutlets and calf’s liver with bacon.
Then, as imagery started circulating in the ’80s of calves tethered in cramped crates and subsisting on artificial formulas, sales took a nosedive, and they’ve never fully recovered.
The industry hopes that recent efforts to pull itself out of its ethical quagmire will spark a turnaround on dinner plates. Some chefs have embraced veal’s more sustainable—and flavorful—new direction, though others doubt broader consumer buy-in.
We Are Chefs is the American Culinary Federation’s digital content hub. It houses the digital version of The National Culinary Review (NCR), the ACF's bi-monthly flagship magazine for professional chefs and foodservice pros.