The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines veal as the “meat from a calf or young beef animal. A veal calf is raised until about 16 to 18 weeks of age, weighing up to 450 pounds.”
Veal calves are the male Holsteins born on dairy farms, thus the bulk of veal production occurs in states with a larger dairy cow population. USDA separates veal into two categories; “bob veal” which is marketed up to three weeks of age and “milk-fed veal” which makes up the larger percentage of veal production on farms.