SoProvimi’sfeeds,likethoseofothermanufacturersofveal
feeds,aredeliberatelykeptlowiniron.Anormalcalfwould
obtainironfromgrassandotherformsofroughage,butsince
vealcalvesarenotallowedthis,theybecomeanemic.Pale
pinkfleshisinfactanemicflesh.Thedemandforfleshofthis
colorisamatterofsnobappeal.Thecolordoesnotaffectthe
taste and it certainly does not make the flesh more
nourishing—it just means that it lacks iron.
Theanemiais,ofcourse,controlled.Withoutanyironatall
thecalveswoulddropdead.Withanormalintaketheirflesh
will not fetch asmuch per pound. So a balanceis struck
which keeps the flesh pale and the calves—or most of
them—ontheir feetlong enoughfor themto reachmarket
weight. The calves, however, are unhealthy and anemic
animals. Kept deliberately short of iron, they develop a
cravingforitandwilllickanyironfittingsintheirstalls.This
explains the use of wooden stalls. As Provimi tells its
customers:
Themainreasonforusinghardwoodinsteadofmetalbox-
stallsisthatmetalmayaffectthelightvealcolor....Keepall
iron out of reach of your calves.^98
And again:
It is also necessary that calves do not have access to a
continuous source of iron. (Water supplied should be
checked.Ifahighlevelofiron[excessof0.5ppm]ispresent
an iron filter
shouldbeconsidered.)Calfcratesshouldbe constructedso
calves have no access to rusty metal.^99