Beef or veal: lean veal has far less iron

In a randomized crossover of 44 healthy adults in Madrid, 150 g a day of lean veal or lean pork for 6 weeks inside a fat-controlled diet left LDL cholesterol at 105 and 101 mg/dL (2.71 and 2.62 mmol/L), with no significant difference between the meats. That trial compared veal with pork, so it tells you nothing about beef. For beef, 23 people with past calcium kidney stones ate two servings a day or an equal amount of plant protein, and their urinary stone risk index came out the same. It was a very short metabolic-unit study that measured urine and not new stones. The clearest difference between the two meats is iron. Per 100 g raw, lean beef carries 2.7 mg of iron against 0.6 mg in veal escalope, and 4.1 mg of zinc against 2.4 mg, with the same protein and B12, by single British composite values. Escalope is a very lean cut, so its lower fat (1.7 g against 4.3 g) partly reflects the cut.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g raw, lean beef carries about four times the iron of veal escalope (2.7 mg against 0.6 mg) and more zinc (4.1 mg against 2.4 mg), with similar protein and B12. — CoFID 2021 codes 18-468 Beef, lean, average, raw and 18-486 Veal, escalope, raw (n = one composite value each) Evidence E source
  Iron 2.70 vs 0.60 mg; zinc 4.1 vs 2.4 mg; fat 4.3 vs 1.7 g; energy 129 vs 106 calories; protein 22.5 vs 22.7 g; vitamin B12 2.0 vs 2.0 mcg; cholesterol 58 vs 52 mg
• Raw veal mince is far fattier than veal escalope in British tables (7.0 g against 1.7 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g)) and still carries little iron (0.8 mg). — CoFID 2021 codes 18-094 Veal, mince, raw and 18-486 Veal, escalope, raw (n = one composite value each) Evidence E source
  Fat 7.0 vs 1.7 g; energy 144 vs 106 calories; saturated fat 2.9 vs 0.6 g; iron 0.80 vs 0.60 mg; zinc 3.0 vs 2.4 mg

What a real portion looks like

• In US survey portions, a veal chop is counted as 90 g and a regular slice of roast beef as 60 g, with a thick slice also 90 g. — FNDDS foods Veal, chop (23201010) and Beef, roast (21401000) (n = survey portion weights) Evidence E source
  Veal chop 90 g; beef roast regular slice 60 g, thick slice 90 g; 1 cup diced 135 g each

What your body absorbs

• A scoping review of 77 studies found that adding muscle meat to a plant-based meal steadily raised iron and zinc absorption, with no clear difference between red meat, poultry and fish. — 52 human and 24 animal studies adding animal-source foods to plant-based meals (n = 77 studies) Evidence C source
  Consistent increase in single-meal iron and zinc absorption; effect on whole diet less clear

What cooking and storage change

• By USDA retention factors, roasting keeps all of the iron in beef but 85% in veal, while veal keeps more vitamin B12 (85% against 70%). — USDA groups Beef Products (BEEF,ROASTED, code 601) and Lamb, Veal, and Game Products (VEAL, ROASTED, code 1954); group factors (n = group factor) Evidence E source
  Beef vs veal retained: iron 100 vs 85%; B12 70 vs 85%; zinc 100 vs 100%; thiamin 55 vs 60%; vitamin B6 50 vs 50%
• Pooling 28 food chemistry studies, cooked beef carried more PAH4 carcinogens than uncooked control beef, with smoking adding more than grilling and barbecuing. — Beef and beef products analyzed in 28 laboratory studies (n = 28 studies) Evidence D source
  PAH4 higher after thermal processing (Hedges g 1.64); smoking > grilling and barbecuing

What it does to your health

• In a crossover trial in 44 healthy adults eating 5.3 oz (150 g) a day of lean veal or lean pork for 6 weeks within a low-fat diet, LDL cholesterol ended the same (105 vs 101 mg/dL (2.71 vs 2.62 mmol/L)). — Healthy adults in Madrid, 22 men and 22 women, double crossover (n = 44) Evidence B source
  LDL 105 mg/dL (2.71 mmol/L) after veal vs 2.62 after pork, not different; overall LDL fell 5.5% on the diet
• Observational data link the highest beef intake with 11% higher colorectal cancer risk, while only one study on veal existed, too few to pool. — Prospective studies: 5 beef, 5 pork, 2 lamb, 1 veal (n = 19 studies) Evidence C source
  Beef CRC RR 1.11 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.22); colon RR 1.24 (1.07 to 1.44)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a Canadian retail survey of 2398 ground meat samples, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli was found in 4.7% of ground veal against 1.2% of ground beef. — Retail raw ground beef, veal and lamb in Canada, 2016 to 2021 (n = 2398 samples) Evidence C source
  STEC positive: veal 4.7% (58/1241), beef 1.2% (7/589), lamb 14.6%
• USDA FSIS sets 145 °F (63 °C) plus a three-minute rest for raw beef and veal steaks, chops and roasts, and 160 °F (71 °C) for hamburger measured with a food thermometer. The page read here gives no separate figure for ground veal. — consumers cooking beef and veal, USA Evidence E source
  145 °F plus 3-minute rest for whole cuts; 160 °F for hamburger

What people believe that the data does not support

• In 17 breastfeeding mothers, swapping 339 g a day of beef for a plant-based beef substitute doubled lauric acid and lowered arachidonic acid in their milk within 6 days. — Lactating women exclusively breastfeeding, double-blind randomized crossover feeding trial, 6-day phases (n = 17) Evidence B source
  Milk lauric acid 9.32 vs 4.47%; arachidonic acid 0.35 vs 0.41% (substitute vs beef), P < 0.001

Who this works differently for

• In 23 people with past calcium kidney stones, two daily servings of beef gave the same urinary stone risk as an equal amount of plant protein. — Normocalciuric calcium stone formers, mean age 50.7, randomized crossover with 2-day metabolic unit study (n = 23) Evidence B source
  Tiselius risk index no different between beef and plant protein diets; both lower than usual diet
• FSIS says the toxin made by STEC bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children, and names children under 5, pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weakened immune systems as most at risk from contaminated food. — children under 5 years old, pregnant women, people aged 65 or older, people with immune systems weakened by cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses Evidence E source
  STEC toxin causes hemorrhagic colitis and may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children; named groups most at risk from contaminated food

What is still unknown

• Across 8 USDA samples, raw beef tenderloin averaged 2.5 mg iron and 3.2 mg zinc per 3.5 oz (100 g), while fat ranged from 3.8 to 10.4 g. USDA has no sampled veal to compare. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of Beef, tenderloin steak, raw (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Iron 2.53 mg (2.12 to 2.82); zinc 3.225 mg (2.71 to 3.72); fat 6.456 g (3.83 to 10.35, spread 101%)

The bottom line

Veal mince is a fattier food than escalope: 7.0 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw against 1.7 g, with still only 0.8 mg of iron, in British tables where mince fat varies by product. USDA has 8 samples of raw beef tenderloin, averaging 2.5 mg iron and 3.2 mg zinc per 3.5 oz (100 g) with fat from 3.8 to 10.4 g, and no sampled veal at all. A veal chop counts as 90 g in US survey portions and a regular slice of roast beef as 60 g. By USDA group factors from a 1975 table, roasting keeps all the iron in beef and 85% in veal, and 70% of the B12 in beef against 85% in veal. A scoping review of 77 human and animal studies found that adding meat to a plant-based meal raised iron and zinc absorption from that meal. Red meat, poultry and fish did not clearly differ, and the effect across a whole diet is less clear. Observational data link the highest beef intake with an 11% higher colorectal cancer risk (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.22) across 5 prospective studies, comparing highest with lowest intake. Only one study looked at veal, too few to pool, so the veal figure is unknown. Laboratory measurements across 28 studies found more of the PAH4 group of carcinogens in cooked beef than raw, with smoking adding more than grilling and barbecuing. No human outcome was measured there, and veal was not tested. The safety finding that separates the two is in ground meat. In a Canadian retail survey, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli turned up in 4.7% of 1241 ground veal samples against 1.2% of 589 ground beef samples. USDA FSIS sets 160 °F (71 °C) for hamburger, measured with a food thermometer throughout the patty, and warns that ground beef may turn brown before bacteria are destroyed, so color is no guide. That FSIS page gives no separate figure for ground veal. For raw beef and veal steaks, chops and roasts it sets 145 °F (63 °C) plus a rest of at least three minutes. FSIS says the toxin made by STEC may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children, and names children under 5, pregnant women, people aged 65 or older and people whose immune systems are weakened by cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses as most at risk from contaminated food. In 17 breastfeeding mothers, swapping 339 g a day of beef for a plant-based beef substitute for 6 days doubled lauric acid in their milk and lowered arachidonic acid, in a small, short trial with no veal arm. Beyond those infection risk groups, we have no card on allergy, pregnancy, children or drug interactions for either meat.

Sources

1. bfvl-r5-01 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   18-468 Beef, lean, average, raw: Energy 129 kcal; Fat 4.3 g; Protein 22.5 g; Iron 2.70 mg; Zinc 4.1 mg; Vitamin B12 2.0 ug; Cholesterol 58.0 mg. 18-486 Veal, escalope, raw: Energy 106 kcal; Fat 1.7 g; Protein 22.7 g; Iron 0.60 mg; Zinc 2.4 mg; Vitamin B12 2.0 ug; Cholesterol 52.0 mg
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-10-02
2. bfvl-r5-02 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   18-094 Veal, mince, raw: Energy 144 kcal; Fat 7.0 g; Satd FA /100g fd 2.90 g; Iron 0.80 mg; Zinc 3.0 mg. 18-486 Veal, escalope, raw: Energy 106 kcal; Fat 1.7 g; Satd FA /100g fd 0.60 g; Iron 0.60 mg; Zinc 2.4 mg
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-10-02
3. bfvl-r5-05 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Veal, chop (fdc 2705909): 1 chop, any size 90 g; 1 cup 135 g; Quantity not specified 90 g. Beef, roast (fdc 2705847): 1 regular/thin slice 60 g; 1 thick slice 90 g; 1 cup 135 g; Quantity not specified 60 g
   USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), as loaded in FoodData Central 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
4. bfvl-r5-06 · scoping review of human and animal studies
   The addition of muscle tissue and muscle tissue fractions to single plant-based meals steadily increased absorption of iron and zinc across studies. The efficacy of the meat factor in increasing iron and zinc absorption in the overall diet is less clear. No clear differences emerged between red meat, poultry, and fish in promoting the meat factor effect.
   Adv Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
5. bfvl-r5-04 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:601 BEEF,ROASTED: iron_mg 100%; vitamin_b12_ug 70%; zinc_mg 100%; thiamin_mg 55%; vitamin_b6_mg 50%. USDA-RETN-R6:1954 VEAL, ROASTED: iron_mg 85%; vitamin_b12_ug 85%; zinc_mg 100%; thiamin_mg 60%; vitamin_b6_mg 50%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), Retn_Code 601 and 1954 · checked 2026-10-02
6. bfvl-r5-10 · meta-analysis of food contaminant studies
   A meta-analysis of 28 articles indicated that thermally processed beef had significantly higher PAH4 levels than did the control beef (g' = 1.64; P < 0.001). Smoking caused greater PAH4 buildup than did grilling and barbecuing (g' > 0.8; P < 0.001).
   Meat Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
7. bfvl-r5-07 · randomized crossover trial
   After both stages of intervention had been completed, there was a mean reduction of 5.5% in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, after each intervention there were no significant differences between those who had consumed P, 2.62 (0.55) mmol/L and those who had consumed V, 2.71 (0.47) mmol/L.
   Nutr Hosp, 2006 · checked 2026-10-02
8. bfvl-r5-08 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   Nineteen studies examined meat subtypes (5 beef, 5 pork, 2 lamb, 1 veal and 19 poultry) and associations with colorectal, colon or rectal cancer risk ... Comparing highest versus lowest intake, beef consumption was associated with an increased risk of CRC (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.22) and colon cancer (RR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.44)
   Int J Cancer, 2016 · checked 2026-10-02
9. bfvl-r5-09 · food safety prevalence survey
   This represented 1.2% (7/589 positive, 8 unique strains) of the beef samples, 4.7% (58/1,241 positive, 67 unique strains) of the veal samples, and 14.6% (83/568 positive, 100 unique strains) of the lamb samples.
   J Food Prot, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
10. sf-fsis-r4-8 · agency advice
    Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F...For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming....Ground beef may turn brown before it has reached a temperature at which bacteria are destroyed....A hamburger cooked to 160 °F (165 °F for ground poultry), measured with a food thermometer throughout the patty...is safe — regardless of color.
    USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety · checked 2026-10-08
11. bfvl-r5-11 · randomized crossover feeding trial
    Human milk collected during the substitute diet contained higher levels of tropical oil-derived medium-chain saturated fatty acids, such as lauric acid (12:0: 9.32 ± 1.8 compared with 4.47 ± 1.82, P < 0.001) and lower levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), including arachidonic acid (20:4n-6: 0.35 ± 0.06 compared with 0.41 ± 0.06, P < 0.001) compared with milk form the beef diet.
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
12. bfvl-r5-12 · randomized crossover trial
    Urinary calcium, oxalate, magnesium, citrate, phosphorus, volume, and TRI did not differ between diets. ... TRI was lower on both beef- and plant-protein diets compared with self-selected prestudy diets for all participants.
    J Am Diet Assoc, 2001 · checked 2026-10-02
13. sf-stec-r3-beefveal-1 · agency advice
    STECs produce large quantities of a potent toxin that forms in the intestine and causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. This causes a disease called hemorrhagic colitis, and may also cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children. ... Children under 5 years old, pregnant women, people aged 65 or older and those with immune systems that have been weakened by cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses are most at risk and vulnerable to illnesses associated with contaminated food.
    Ground Beef and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · checked 2026-10-08
14. bfvl-r5-03 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
    Beef, tenderloin steak, raw: Iron, Fe 2.53 mg, range 2.12-2.82 (median 2.555), samples 8; Zinc, Zn 3.225 mg, range 2.71-3.72, samples 8; Total lipid (fat) 6.456 g, range 3.83-10.35 (median 6.275), samples 8. variability_search.py veal: no rows
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-10-02