New York bid to prohibit foie gras criticised as ‘anti-snob’

NEW York City is considering banning sales of foie gras, which has been dismissed by critics as an “anti-snob” move.

The city council is currently considering legislation for New York restaurants that would ban sales of force-fed birds as well as all forms of the rich delicacy which is made from their engorged livers.

The bill, which more than half the council has already backed, could be put forward for a vote in the autumn and would see fines of up to $1,000 (£820) or a year in prison for those who break the ban.

Bill De Blasio, the city’s mayor, and Democratic presidential candidate, has also voiced support for the proposal’s intent. The legislation would effectively ban sales of the luxury food item from one of the country’s largest markets for the product.

America has three foie gras producers, two of which are in New York state. Foie gras is often made by duck and geese having tubes inserted into their throats, forcing them to consume far more grain than they would naturally eat and fattening their livers by up to 10 times their normal size.

New York State’s Humane Association, one of the bill’s advocates, said the life cycle of American foie gras ducks are “short and agonising in the final weeks”.

“By their last week, the birds have become so ill that their physical condition and degree of suffering arguably place them in violation of the state’s anti-cruelty laws,” the group said.

However, opponents suggest that lawmakers are guilty of focusing on high-end products while overlooking genuine animal welfare concerns in the food production industry.

Mark Caro, author of The Foie Gras Wars, said: “If you try to get people to give up their cheap chicken, you would have a problem, because it would affect their budgets,” he told The New York Times. “It’s enjoyed by... people most of this country resents. There’s a definite anti-snob thing going on,” he said.