Foie Gras: Force Feeding Ducks to Create a Culinary Delight

Foie Gras, that wonderfully smooth, creamy, buttery, fatty liver product harvested from ducks; in the USA mostly the hybrid duck called Moullard, has quacked-up quite a controversy. Animal rights activist have never really liked the method used to create  this specialty product, and the reason the activist have stepped up there protests of late; is because, what was once a French Industry, has breed a American counter part, over the last decade or so. And this USA product is now a real growth industry.

Chopped Liver This is NotFoie gras, once the desire of foodies and gourmets only, is now being featured and promoted by an increasing number of restaurants across the country. Menus offer creative dishes prepared in every way imaginable; as appetizer or the main course; sauteed, grilled, or roasted, and most often paired, with a complimentary fruit, like mangoes or pears.

Power Feeding and Small Caging

This nation wide exposure has challenged a response from the Animal Rights Activists. There are two main issues here for the activists, forced feeding and the placement of the ducks in confining small cages a few weeks prior to slaughter.

As for caging, actually most ducks used, are allowed to free range for the first 12 weeks of their life. The sticky part is the 3-4 weeks of intensive feeding, required to grow a super large liver. The birds are incarcerated in small cages that allow for little or no movement, to prevent them from burning off some of that precious fat, that would happen if they ran around, this does seem cruel.