Being the most used it should also be the best checked. The color of the lean portions of beef should be a bright red. Vacuum-packaged beef and the interior of ground beef should have a more darker, purplish red color because the meat has not been exposed to the air. After the beef has been exposed to air it will begin to turn the familiar bright red. Very young beef is classified as veal.
Veal follows basically the same criteria as older beef.
Veal is by nature a naturally lean meat and very easy to prepare. It should have a fine grainy texture and be creamy pink in color. Any fat covering should milky white. Look for meat that has a pinkish red color. There should also be a very velvety texture.