In the end, it’s all about the food:

Beef, dairy and veal industry leaders attending the Veal Council Meeting at the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & Trade Show in Reno, Nev., learned more about four new veal cuts designed for the casual theme segment of the foodservice industry to help increase veal demand nationwide.

Utilizing data from The Beef Checkoff-funded Veal Optimization Study, the Beef Innovations Group (B.I.G.) provided technical support to the veal foodservice marketing as part of the industry Veal Go to Market Strategy. The four new cuts include: the Osso Bucco for Two, Double-Bone Veal Chop, Tuscan Style Veal Chop and Boneless Osso Bucco.

“These four cuts more fully utilize the veal square cut chuck,” says Mike Lemler, vice chairman of the Veal Council and a California veal marketer. “The new cuts also make it economically attractive for veal packers and processors to separate these muscles and add value for foodservice operators in the casual dining segment.”

The Veal Optimization Study funded in 2007 already created five new cuts representing 20 percent of the veal square chuck cut. These cuts included the Veal Flat Iron, Veal Petite Tender, Veal Shoulder Tender, Veal Filet Tender and Boneless Shoulder Rib.

Tom Houlton, veal industry veteran and member of the Veal Go to Market Strategy Team, explains, “These new veal cuts will be targeted to casual dining chains showing huge potential for increased sales in the foodservice channel in a partnership with veal packers and processors.

“In the end, veal producers will benefit from the increased demand of the underutilized portion of the veal carcass,” concludes Houlton.