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What’s this summer’s hottest grilling delicacy? Veal!
– K-store meat experts are here to help you choose

Skirt steak, brisket, petite tender – consumers are increasingly asking for more specialized cuts. K-stores closely follow the latest trends, and ahead of the summer grilling season, Helsinki Butchers’ Association and PNM-Chipsters organized a meat-cutting workshop where participants learned how to butcher veal into these prized cuts.

Where do you go when you want to cook something truly delicious? For many food enthusiasts, the answer is clear. K-stores’ high-quality and diverse selection tempts the taste buds, and their knowledgeable staff are full of great cooking tips. Grocery shopping has increasingly become a sensory experience that delights all the senses.

Of course, staff expertise doesn’t happen by accident – training plays a key role. In April, a group of K-stores from the Helsinki region participated in a meat-cutting workshop, where each store received a veal carcass weighing around 150 kilos. The task was to cut the carcass into the kinds of specialty cuts that more and more consumers are now asking for – such as denver steak, picanha, and maminha.

It turned into an educational afternoon as the butchering began under the guidance of Mika Posti, who works at Vainio’s Abattoir. Even though the participants were seasoned retailers and meat specialists, breaking down a whole carcass was unfamiliar to many – after all, stores have long received their meat pre-cut.

– It’s important for retailers and store staff to know the raw materials as well as possible – that way they can give better advice to customers. Butchery is a disappearing cultural skill, and we want to share that knowledge with stores,  says Juha Haroma, Chairman of the Helsinki Butchers’ Association and K-store retailer.

Vasikka on ekologinen ja erittäin herkullinen valinta grilliin

So why veal? Juha Haroma gives a few good reasons. First, veal is incredibly tender and makes delicious meat dishes year-round.

– I’m amazed that veal has disappeared from grocery stores. In Finland, you mostly find it in good restaurants. But veal makes amazing grilled dishes – you can make burgers or even the Italian classic vitello tonnato. Even the original Wallenberg steak was made from veal. And right now, veal is actually more readily available than beef.

Beyond taste, Haroma highlights another important reason: veal is a by-product of dairy farming, so using it is a responsible choice.

– In case someone doesn’t know – a cow must have a calf every year in order to produce milk. Heifer calves often become breeding cows, but bull calves are eventually raised for meat.

Responsible meat production

The veal used in the meat-cutting training came from one of the world’s leading veal producers, VanDrie Group. This Dutch family-owned company sells high-quality, responsibly produced veal under the brand T. Boer & zn. In Finland, this veal is available under the Familia brand, imported by PNM-Chipsters, known for its premium meats.

– At the training, we mainly cut white veal, also known as milk-fed veal. Its pale color comes from the diet – 60% of the feed is milk made from milk powder, a by-product of the food industry, and 40% is regular feed. For comparison, we also cut one rosé veal carcass – these animals eat 60% forage and 40% milk, which gives the meat a slightly redder tone. So, diet has a big impact on both the meat’s color and flavor. There’s also a third type called grass-fed veal, explains Ville Virkki from PNM-Chipsters.

At VanDrie Group, animal welfare is taken seriously, and the calves’ health is closely monitored. They live in spacious group pens, eat natural feed, and drink milk. The production chain is highly transparent and 100% traceable – the company manages everything from farm to table.

– We work with around 1 100 professional veal farmers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Italy. Our relationships are built on long-term cooperation – with many families, we’ve worked together for generations, says Tiemen van der Stelt from T. Boer & zn.

VanDrie Group is also committed to reducing the environmental impact of veal production. Much has already been done, but by 2030 the aim is to significantly reduce energy use and emissions – particularly ammonia and methane – at veal farms. Reducing packaging materials is another key goal. The company’s long-term vision is a fully circular production chain, where every part of the animal is used and nothing goes to waste.

Read more:
https://www.boer.com/en/
https://www.vandriegroup.com/en/

Watch the video from the day: Meat-Cutting Training