Foie Gras -- Strong Liver Anybody?

Humphry Slocombe, a California ice-cream parlour, introduced foie gras ice-creams and sandwiches in 2008. The shop initially offered it only as an occasional delicacy, but when it became clear in 2012 that the state was about to ban foie gras, the demand for the products spiked. "We started serving it everyday till the last day possible" said Jake Godby, the chef and founder of Humphry Slocombe.

What is foie gras?

"Foie" in French means "liver" and "gras" in French means "fat". So, "foie gras" means the fattened liver of a force-fed goose or duck.

Who cares about it?

Foie gras consists mostly of fat, and its richness makes it a good match for sweet foods, which is why it’s often served with dessert wine. Another advantage of pairing foie with other high-fat ingredients like eggs and cream is that a little will go a long way. Foie gras is expensive - restaurants and distributors quoted me wholesale prices between $35 and $55 a pound, depending on quality - and most of these dishes are best served in small portions. Humphry Slocombe can make a gallon of foie gras ice cream with a single 1- to 2-pound lobe of foie. In turn, it makes about 100 $5 sandwiches out of that gallon.

Americans and French are heavy consumers of foie gras products. Many other countries also import foie gras and such dishes command a high price and following.

How is it prepared?

Poultry farm workers ram pipes down the male ducks' or geese's throats two or three times daily and pump as much as 4 pounds of grains and fats into animals' stomachs, causing their livers to swell up to 10 times their normal size. Many birds have difficulty standing because of their engorged livers, and they may tear out their own feathers and cannibalize each other out of stress. The birds are kept in tiny cages or packed into sheds. On some farms, a single worker may be expected to force-feed 500 birds three times each day. Because workers rush, animals are often treated roughly and left injured and suffering.

Is it so cruel?

Foie gras was banned in California in July 2012, on the ground that it was cruel to force-feed a duck to fatten its liver. Force-feeding has also been outlawed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. India has banned the import of foie gras, meaning that it cannot legally be sold anywhere in the country.

A PETA investigation at Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York (then called “Commonwealth Enterprises”) found that so many ducks died when their organs ruptured from overfeeding that workers who killed fewer than 50 birds per month were given a bonus. Many ducks develop foot infections, kidney necrosis, spleen damage, bruised and broken bills, and tumor-like lumps in their throats. One duck had a maggot-infested neck wound so severe that water spilled out of it when he drank.

Another PETA investigation at Hudson Valley in 2013 documented that prior to the force-feeding period, young ducks were crammed by the thousands into huge warehouse-like sheds in conditions that are virtually identical to those for “broiler” chickens and turkeys on factory farms. Ducks who were being force-fed were confined up to a dozen at a time to a pen measuring just 4 feet by 6 feet. PETA’s investigator saw workers drag ducks by their necks along the wire floor and pin the ducks between their legs before ramming the metal force-feeding tubes down their throats.

By Hudson Valley’s own calculations, approximately 15,000 ducks on the farm die every year before they can be slaughtered. Common causes of death on foie gras farms include ruptured organs, throat injuries, liver failure, and heat stress—all direct results of force-feeding. Some ducks die of aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when the grain is forced down into the ducks’ lungs or when birds choke on their own vomit. Ducks at Hudson Valley are killed on site, and PETA’s investigator documented at least one bird still moving after his throat had been cut.

What you may choose to do?

Unfortunately, a recent ruling in California has overturned the previous ban. And life in California will continue to be a part of the pains suffered by the foie gras animals. If you have any intention of eating foie gras, I request you to please reconsider.