Foie gras is a touchy topic for many. Advocates of vegetarianism or veganism especially oppose the production of the "fatty liver" because of the degree of manipulation that is used on the animals to produce it.
Foie gras, which is considered a great delicacy by some, is produced by ducks and geese being force-fed abnormally large quantities of food, causing their livers to swell up to six to 10 times the normal size. After 21 days of this feeding regimen, the birds are killed, and their enlarged livers are marketed as foie gras. Numerous animal rights groups have protested the force-feeding process, known as gavage, which consists of placing a metal tube down the animals’ throats to deliver the corn-based food. They say that the process causes trauma and injury to the animals, making them become deathly ill prior to their slaughter.
However, in a recent Village Voice article, reporter Sarah DiGregorio visited Hudson Valley Foie Gras, which is the biggest foie gras farm in our country, and found that the process wasn’t as tortuous as she previously thought. The farm is one of only four in America that produce foie gras, all using ducks instead of geese.
According to DiGregorio’s report, the Hudson Valley Foie Gras farm, located in Ferndale, NY, raises its ducks in a cage-free environment and the force-feeding process appeared to be a quick (about 30 seconds), relatively comfortable process for the animals.
The debate about foie gras is international. France and Hungary are well known for their foie gras production, although a number of European countries ban force-feeding. The Spanish farm Pateria de Sousa produces foie gras "naturally" by letting geese gorge the way they always have in the wild, seasonally, eliminating the need for force-feeding. Foie gras purists have criticized this method, claiming the product is not actual foie gras, which they believe can only be achieved through force-feeding.
The feeding process is not the only questionable concern raised by foie gras. Factory farms in general are detrimental to the environment because of the fertilizers used on the feed and the methane, ammonia, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide gases that arise from excessive manure and urine production.
Another reason to reconsider foie gras comes from new research indicating a connection to Alzheimer’s disease and Type II diabetes. A study published in an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health indicates that harmful protein fragments known as amyloid fibrils associated with damage to brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and to pancreatic cells in Type II diabetes, are present in high levels in pâté de foie gras. Researchers have demonstrated that these compounds, when ingested, can enter the organs of laboratory rats fed affected meat and cause amyloidosis – an inflammatory response seen in conditions such as mad cow disease.
It is important to note that pâté de foie gras is the only food product currently known to contain high levels of amyloid fibrils and no demonstration of it affecting people has been seen. The study’s author suggests that urgent research is needed to make sure we’re not eating food that one day might lead to amyloidosis in people.
PETA, who has featured videos depicting the force-feeding process, is offering a challenge to concoct a purely vegetarian foie gras, awarding a $10,000 prize to the creator of the winning recipe. But until the winner is announced, if foie gras is on your restaurant menu, there is much to consider before placing your order.
