New York City is still tied up with legal challenges to the ban on foie gras. Meanwhile, in California, foie gras is illegal overall, but can still be purchased online for private consumption as long as it was produced out of the state. Additionally, more progress is being made elsewhere to ban this “delicacy of despair.” 

As many of us know, the industrial agricultural system is teeming with unimaginable cruelties, but the production of foie gras is arguably one of the worst. Foie gras is essentially the diseased livers of ducks or geese who are force-fed via pipes shoved down their throats, with gruesome injuries occurring to the necks and beaks of some of the birds. These birds all are forced to have livers that grow far beyond their normal size, causing debilitating health conditions such as esophagus damage and an inability to breathe. 

The 2019 law banning the sale and serving of foie gras in New York City has still not gone into effect due to legal challenges. In a small victory, last year a judge ruled that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets acted arbitrarily and capriciously in trying to override the New York City ban on foie gras. While this is good news, the court left the door open to future challenges, so the fight is far from over. In fact, two farms exploiting geese for their livers are appealing the decision.

In California, the ban on foie gras was upheld in the courts, but people are still able to purchase it online and consume this cruel product privately as long as it is produced out of state. Fortunately, restaurants and retailers are still barred from selling the product in the state, though!

Luckily, there are several countries that have made the decision to ban foie gras, including Denmark, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In 2023, the city of Pittsburgh banned foie gras and Rhode Island introduced a bill to ban the sale and production of foie gras in the state. While it didn’t pass, there’s hope for the future as a new bill was introduced this legislative session. Local advocacy groups are also working to end the sale of foie gras in Austin, Texas through education and protesting with the goal of eventually enacting a city-wide ban.

Our efforts continue to end this cruel and unnecessary torture of geese for foie gras as we support and spread awareness of the cruelty of raising animals for their flesh. Read more about how In Defense of Animals fights for farmed animals, and consider making a donation to support our efforts to ban foie gras once and for all.