Force-Fed to Death

The French parliament has declared foie gras a national institution in an attempt to fight a campaign against the duck and goose liver pâté. The animal rights group PETA is fighting to stop the production of foie gras and has produced a film narrated by the former James Bond star, Sir Roger Moore, called "Force-Fed to Death". The video shows graphically how the birds that are used to make the pâté are force fed with corn until their livers swell up to 10 times their normal size. The film is to be distributed among British chefs who serve foie gras, including Gordon Ramsey and Clarissa Dickson Wright.

Force-feeding birds has been banned in many countries, including Israel, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 2004, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill outlawing both the production and the sale of foie gras in California as of 2012, following intense lobbying from stars such Kim Basinger and Sir Paul McCartney. In Chicago, Michael Altenberg, the critically acclaimed chef at Bistro Campagne, removed foie gras from his menu after viewing the undercover documentary „Delicacy of Despair, produced by GourmetCruelty.com.

The French response to the campaign has been quick. The lower house of parliament unanimously passed a bill stating that foie gras is "part of the cultural and gastronomic patrimony, protected in France".