Behind Foie Gras – A Luxurious Dish in Western Restaurants Lies a Disturbing Process.
What is Foie Gras?
Foie gras, which translates directly from French to English as “fatty liver”, is produced by fattening geese (and sometimes ducks) through a process called gavage, aimed at making their livers unusually fatty.
Once the geese are deemed ready for slaughter, their livers are harvested for culinary use, while other internal organs and meat are sent to restaurants. However, there are reports that only the liver is taken, with the remaining goose meat being ground up for animal feed.
What does this process entail? The following article will provide you with insight into this.
From the Pride of French Cuisine…
It is important to note that French foie gras is not just any foie gras; it is fattened goose liver—extracted from geese that have been overfed to produce enormous livers.
Fattened goose liver has a refined flavor, a light richness, and a smooth, silky texture, rather than the heavy consistency of regular liver.
The technique of fattening poultry to create delicious fatty livers actually dates back to ancient Egypt around 2000 BC. It wasn’t until the fall of the Roman Empire in Europe that this technique was adopted and refined by the French, leading to the modern-day foie gras—a culinary delicacy.
Fattened goose liver is not cheap at all – about 2 – 3 million VND/kg.
Over time, foie gras has become deeply intertwined with traditional French cuisine, a source of unwavering national pride. The country has even enshrined in law: “Fattened goose liver is part of France’s cultural and culinary heritage.”
A dish many dream of tasting at least once in their lifetime…
…and the Cruel Story Behind It
However, everything comes at a price. To produce these delicious fatty livers, geese cannot be raised like… ducks in Vietnam; instead, they undergo a harsh process.
The cruelty begins with the method of fattening the geese. To achieve top-quality livers, the geese are literally forced to have their mouths pried open 2 to 4 times a day.
A metal tube is inserted directly into their throats, pumping about… 10 kg of grain (usually corn) into their stomachs to fatten them up.
A metal tube is inserted directly into their throats to pump grain into their stomachs.
This process causes the geese’s livers to grow exponentially, up to 10 times larger than normal. However, such oversized livers press against their lungs, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Additionally, many geese cannot even stand up, and some even break their legs due to their excessive weight. Not to mention, the heavy weight causes stress, leading the geese to “frantically” pluck their feathers or even attack each other.
Fattened goose liver (left) and regular goose liver (right).
This is the situation at family farms, but in industrial factories, the level of cruelty is exponentially worse.
Geese are kept in extremely cramped cages, unable to move to prevent them from attacking each other. They are also not allowed to bathe as they would naturally, resulting in their bodies being covered in a layer of oil, which keeps their feathers waterproof. All they can do is… wriggle, flap their wings, and turn their heads from side to side.
Confined to tight spaces and subjected to harsh feeding methods.
Along with poor hygiene conditions and a “brutal” diet that doesn’t allow for natural relaxation, these geese become increasingly stressed. As a result, they… thrash around, causing more self-inflicted injuries.
Geese are kept in very cramped cages.
Along with poor hygiene conditions, a “brutal” diet causes these geese to become more stressed.
Furthermore, the painful condition of foot infections in geese is not uncommon in these farms.
Additionally, geese face numerous severe health issues such as fungal infections, diarrhea, ruptured esophagus, and pneumonia… And of course, any geese that die are discarded without a second thought.
Dead geese are discarded without mercy.
The painful condition of foot infections in geese is quite common.
Moreover, all foie gras comes from male geese. Therefore, female geese—considered “useless” in this industry—are often discarded or ground up for cat food or fertilizer.
…to a Dish That Sparks Controversy Worldwide
Despite the harsh process, the foie gras industry has raised concerns within the global culinary community.
Foie gras at harvest.
An investigation by PETA in the “Foie Gras Valley” in New York revealed that a worker is expected to force-feed 500 geese three times a day. This pace often results in harsh treatment and injuries to the geese. Many geese die from organ rupture due to overfeeding, and workers who “kill” fewer than 50 geese a month are rewarded. One worker told a PETA investigator that he could feel tumor-like masses from overfeeding in the throats of some geese. Some were so infested with maggots in their necks that water would spill out when they tried to drink.
Another PETA investigation in the Hudson Valley in 2013 noted that before the force-feeding phase, thousands of young geese were crammed into warehouse-like pens in conditions similar to those for broiler chickens and turkeys on factory farms. The geese being force-fed were often packed into cages with many others in very small spaces. PETA investigators witnessed workers pulling goose necks along wire floors and pinning them down before inserting metal feeding tubes into their throats.
Statistics show that the mortality rate for geese during the fattening process is 20 times higher than for those raised conventionally, and to ensure profit, they harvest the livers of dead geese before slaughtering them. According to estimates from the Hudson Valley, around 15,000 geese die on farms each year before being processed for meat.
Every week, up to 5,000 livers are harvested from sick geese. This practice is certainly detrimental to consumer health. Moreover, the brutal process of raising geese for their livers has led several countries, such as the United States (California) and India, to completely ban the import of this food product.
The mortality rate of geese during the fattening process is 20 times higher than that of geese raised in a conventional manner.
In Israel, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the production of foie gras is illegal because it is considered extremely cruel to force-feed geese to harvest their livers.
However, chefs are fiercely defending the culinary tradition surrounding foie gras, a dish that has never gone out of style. Thus, it is not incorrect to say that the battle between animal rights advocates and chefs is a contentious and ongoing struggle.
Where is Foie Gras Banned?
Several countries and states in the United States have enacted bans on serving foie gras. However, in many places, especially France, this dish is still regarded as a delicacy, often quite expensive.
In 2022, a ban on selling foie gras came into effect in New York City, one of the largest food markets in the United States. The ban was initially supported by Councilmember Carlina Rivera of Manhattan, who pointed out that foie gras production is both a luxury and one of the most inhumane practices in food production.
The production of foie gras was banned in Turkey in July 2004 under Turkey’s Animal Protection Law. Along with providing other protections for animals throughout the country and across various industries, Turkish law also prohibits force-feeding animals for any reason other than health-related issues.
In 2014, India made a groundbreaking decision to ban the import of foie gras. This means that the dish cannot be served anywhere in the country.
