WELLNESS-This is a follow up to my February 6th Article on the current state of the foie gras laws. Foie gras is a type of food that is created by a process called gavaging. This process includes forcing a metal tube down the throat of geese and ducks and force-feeding it corn or other foods twice a day with the intent of enlarging the ducks liver for the purpose of consumption. Once enlarged to about 5 times the normal healthy liver size, the duck is then killed and the liver is removed and used as food. Fans of foie gras say the liver becomes rich and sweet tasting. Foes claim there is cruelty in the process of making foie gras and it needs to stop.
In 2004 there was a law passed that went into affect in 2012. This law made it illegal to produce, sell, or import foie gras in the entire state of California. In January of this year judge Stephen Wilson deemed the law illegal saying the ruling interferes with federal laws that regulate poultry products. He said the 2004 ban is not valid because foie gras is technically an ingredient and therefore covered by the US Poultry Products Inspection Act which state law can not override.
Much like the medical marijuana debacle, federal law reigns supreme. Foie gras still cannot be produced in California but it can now be imported and sold. It is banned entirely in many other countries like the UK, Israel, Switzerland, and Italy to name a few.
This fight is not over. California attorney general Kamala Harris has filed an appeal with the 9th circuit in an attempt to reinstate the ban based on animal cruelty. Animal rights activists are delighted, but foodies and chefs alike are unhappy about the decision. The pro foie gras people say that the majority of the cruelty to the ducks and geese comes from other countries and not the United States. They also argue that foie gras is a delicacy and has been around for over 4000 years and is important to cultural history. If you take some time to google or youtube exactly (**WARNING-graphic video) what happens to a duck when making foi gras you can judge for yourself if it’s cruel or not.
No one can predict what will happen with this foi gras law, but one thing is certain; if the state of California successfully bans foie gras, there will no doubt be other states that follow and eventually the ban could be instated on a federal level. The nay-sayers to the ban think foie gras is an easy target because there are so many videos on the web showing the cruel process of creating foie gras, and that the way we treat other animals such as livestock is equally or more cruel.
Kamala Harris is not giving up. There will be more information coming through in the near future and the animal activists are working very hard to be sure this ban on foie gras is re-instated. I will be sure keep you up to date with any new information about the battle over foie gras in California.
(Christian Cristiano is an acupuncturist in LA, TV host of Wellness for Realists and writes on wellness regularly for CityWatch. Christian can be reached at 323.935.3420. twitter: @CristianoWFR)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 29
Pub: Apr 7, 2017
