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The Cruelest Food on Earth

FORCE-FEEDING FOR FOIE GRAS

One of the most controversial practices in the animal agriculture industry is the force-feeding of ducks and geese to produce foie gras – a luxury food product available at some upscale restaurants and markets. Foie gras is French for “fatty liver” – and that’s exactly what it is: a fatty spread made from diseased livers. The practice of force-feeding to induce fatty liver disease is considered unacceptable by most people, even among meat-eaters, yet it is legal in 49 out of 50 U.S. states.

A BRUTALLY CRUEL PROCESS

Foie gras is considered a delicacy, yet its production is anything but delicate. Workers at foie gras farms thrust a 10- to 12-inch metal or plastic tube down each bird’s throat to rapidly deliver huge amounts of concentrated grain, fat, and compressed air into the bird’s stomach via a pneumatic or hydraulic pump. This process is repeated up to three times a day until the bird’s liver becomes diseased – often growing up to 10 times its normal size. This force-feeding process causes birds extreme pain and suffering, which continues for weeks on end until they are killed around 15 weeks of age.

EXTREME SUFFERING FOR DUCKS AND GEESE

Force-fed ducks and geese have a mortality rate that is up to 20 times higher than non-force-fed birds. Force-feeding has serious health consequences for the birds, including physical damage to the esophagus, difficulty breathing, standing and walking, liver hemorrhage, and even cardiac or renal failure.

DANGEROUS TO PUBLIC HEALTH

Foie gras production poses a significant risk to public health as well. Because of the constant abuse they endure, ducks and geese on foie gras factory farms have weakened immune systems, making them especially susceptible to avian influenza (bird flu) infections. This is alarming in part because bird flu can spread to humans. In 2021 alone, France registered 475 outbreaks of avian influenza at poultry farms, the vast majority of these being foie gras operations.

It’s time to end this cruel practice by banning the production and sale of force-fed products across the country.

Cities and states across the U.S. should uphold this modest animal welfare standard by banning the sale of this entirely superfluous, luxury product within their borders.  Sarah Hanneken, Legal Advocacy Counsel
Animal Equality

Exposing cruelty through undercover investigations

Animal Equality first exposed the foie gras industry 10 years ago through investigations in some of the largest production facilities in Europe. By going inside these farms, our investigators were able to expose the entire foie gras industry in Spain and four top farms in France.

We obtained tens of hours of video and audio and hundreds of photographs that documented the cruel abuse of the foie gras industry. This footage is our most powerful tool to raise public awareness of these issues and demand change.

Sign now to ban foie gras

Worldwide progress against foie gras

In the United States, the city of New York and the state of California have both banned the sale of foie gras. We’re continuing to target major cities and work state by state as we fight for a nationwide ban. 

Progress is possible as more than a dozen countries have already banned foie gras. Here’s what our work has achieved so far:

  • India became the first country in the world to implement a nationwide ban on the import of foie gras in 2014. This was a direct result of our investigations in Europe.
  • After our successful two year campaign, one of Italy’s largest stores, COOP, ended the sale of foie gras.  
  • In the United Kingdom where the production of foie gras is already banned, we are petitioning the government for a definitive ban on importation and have obtained 250,000 signatures.
Help us ban this cruelty in the US