Anti-Foie Gras Activists Up in Arms As They Await California Ban

   By drodriguez  Apr 25, 2012
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Foie gras loving foodies in California are getting their final dose of the delicacy as a ban is about to go into effect this July. Starting this summer both sale and production of the fatty fare will come to a halt, but it may not come soon enough for some of the protestors attempting to end the sale of foie gras sooner.

The production and sale of foie gras has been a heated issue among animal activists for a long time. The Telegraph reports about some notable names that have declared war against the foie gras market with Kate Winslet and Paul McCartney among them. The force feeding of the geese until their livers are unnaturally large causing their stomachs to drag on the ground is the main concern of protestors.

A recent Chow report discusses how chefs and protesters are interacting in these last few months before the ban goes into effect. Some of the top chefs report they have been violently threatened and fear for their safety. San Francisco chef Russell Jackson now wears a bulletproof vest on his way to work after receiving angry emails and voicemail messages.

Jackson describes how the protests have affected him on a daily basis. He explains, “To walk out of my restaurant and have 60 or 70 protesters, people screaming horrible things about me, your brain just doesn't know how to compute that. They're talking about your family and your children asking if I'd like it if they stuck a tube down my child's throat and force-fed them."

What do you think of the protests in California regarding the sale and production of foie gras?

Would you order foie gras or go to a restaurant that had it on the menu?

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DeeDee042 by DeeDee042 | Wausau, WI
Apr 26, 2012

I agree, making threats is not a good way to make a point.

ciegleparis by ciegleparis | De Land, IL
Apr 26, 2012

This law was put into place in 2004, giving the industry eight years to find an alternative, humane way to fatten the birds' livers. The industry has failed. It is time to ban the foie gras, and do it the right way. Chicago's infamous fois gras ban, then repeal of the foie gras ban, was typical Chicago politics and did nothing for the real cause of humane animal treatment. The California protestors are also not adding to the real cause by resorting to violence.

Yapper by Yapper | Plantation, FL
Apr 26, 2012

Maybe there is an eleemosynary way of feeding the geese. This way we may have peace among all parties.

amywa65 by amywa65 | Chesterfield, MI
Apr 25, 2012

I agree with Phoenix295. There is a right way and a wrong way to get your point heard. Threatening someone or their family is not the way to go. At this point, these protestors are just as bad as the people raising the geese.

Phoenix295 by Phoenix295 | MADISON, WI
Apr 25, 2012

As with all protests, I think it's important to strike a balance between message and method. Free speech is a fundamental right: anyone is entitled to rally for a cause. But protests which resort to violence and scare tactics are not appropriate. Such methods not only run the risk of harm, but delegitimize and distort the message.