Foie gras, literally translated from the French as “fatty liver,” is the result of force-feeding ducks or geese a huge amount of nutritionally deficient food until their livers reach many times their natural size. Workers achieve this by pushing a metal tube down the animals’ throats and pumping four pounds of food into their stomachs daily. Their livers, which naturally weigh about three ounces, expand to one-and-a-half pounds by the end of four weeks, which is eight times their normal size. Many ducks and geese die during the process, as their bodies are not meant to withstand such feeding practices. Some die when their necks are punctured by the metal feeding tube; some die from their stomachs bursting; still others die when force-feeding fills them literally to the point of asphyxiation. These are only the accidental deaths. Workers in foie gras farms have been documented pulling the heads off of live ducks, smashing them into walls, punching and kicking them, crushing and suffocating them in plastic bags, and cutting their throats while they were still fully conscious. These abuses are not mere fringe aspects of the industry, but, like often fatal feeding methods, inherent to its cruel nature. View footage at You Tube WHAT YOU CAN DO! Educate restaurant managers about the terrible abuse the animals suffer in the foie gras industry, and ask them to stop carrying this product. There are many alternatives to buy instead , such as delicious plant-based pâtés and “faux gras” delicacy, which can be made wihtout causing cruelty to animals. Prepared pates can be bought from vegan online stores such as Pangea and Vegan Essentials. Or try these recipes.
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