Fois Gras

The foie gras controversy has been on the plate of local activists around San Diego this month. Foie gras literally means fat liver, and is the process of tube-force feeding a duck or goose corn boiled in fat several times a day until its liver becomes engorged. In some countries this is considered a delicacy due to its rich flavor. According to an independent research report prepared for the Sullivan County foie gras Producers, the United States is one of the top consumers and producers of this contestable main course.

Foie gras has been outlawed in 14 countries including Italy, Norway, Germany, and Poland and according to the New York Times, foie gras will be banned in California beginning July of 2012. The ban will impose fines of up to $1,000 per day to violators. This ban will be the first in the nation that criminalizes the sale of foie gras, and some hope this will snowball into a nation wide ban.

Local restaurants that are still serving foie gras have been subject to an array of different groups of animal rights protestors outside their businesses, such as the most recent protest outside Bertrand at Mister A's in San Diego. Participants held signs with graphic images of the force feeding process for patrons to view.

Some argue that foie gras is a natural process of migratory birds who gorge themselves before making the long trek and often enlarger their liver to twice its natural size however the delicacy that is sought after requires the liver to be enlarged six to ten times its regular size. These birds are being force fed more than they would ever eat in nature or domestically on their own. The food being force fed is so high in fat that it slows and sometimes completely stops digestion; another thing that would never happen naturally or domestically.

There is a great environmental impact of producing foie gras too. These birds are being fed over two pounds of genetically modified corn per day, and with the United States producing about 500,000 foie gras ducks and geese per year, this amounts to 1,000,000 pounds of grain per year. That growth takes a lot of water, and when dealing with genetically modified corn, run off is also a considerably serious environmental impact.

With the Centers of Disease Control reporting that about 34 percent of people in the United States are considered obese, foods like foie gras really have no need to be served. Eating the sickly organ can cost upwards of $100 and with the United States Census reporting that the nation wide annual income level has fallen, we could gladly bid adieu to this unhealthy and over priced commodity.