Top chefs campaign for local veal
Business
An association with top chefs is pursuing the goal of bringing more local veal into the catering trade. To this end, restaurateurs and producers have joined forces to form the Koch-Campus association. They see local veal as an opportunity to prevent young animals from being transported.
At the same time, this should also create new sales opportunities for farmers. More than 10,000 calves are exported from Salzburg every year. The main reason for this is the increased demand for domestic veal. If the Koch-Campus association has its way, this should change in gastronomy. “Salzburg is an absolute dairy farming country and many farmers don’t know what to do with the male calves. Solutions have to be found here,” says Andreas Döllerer, a four-toque chef from Golling (Tennengau).
Dark color as an argument against domestic veal
One argument against domestic veal was primarily its darker color compared to white meat from foreign fattened calves. clarification is needed here, the chefs demand. “We still teach that white meat in veal is good meat, but the reality is that there is a lack of iron and the animals are not raised in our sustainable way. If it has a nice pink colour, then it’s real veal,” says 4-toque chef Vitus Winkler from St. Veit im Pongau (Schwarzach).
Growing up and battles in the region
There is also a sustainable idea behind the promotion of local veal: Farmers, cooks and guests should also benefit from it. At the same time, farmers want to create a basis for marketing the meat from their calves, which grow up in the region and are then also slaughtered in the region. The project also aims to prevent long animal transports abroad.