Foie Gras Ban/the Ethics of Foie Gras

[nibor]

I ate foie in California earlier this week. I don't know if this is true or not, but our server said that although they will not be able to sell it after the law passes, they will be able give it away. So they plan on selling very expensive toast points, and throwing in the foie for "free".

[janeer]

I ate foie in California earlier this week. I don't know if this is true or not, but our server said that although they will not be able to sell it after the law passes, they will be able give it away. So they plan on selling very expensive toast points, and throwing in the foie for "free".

Imagine: fois gras as an "amuse." I have not read the legislation; presumably, it does not ban raising practices, only selling? If so, makes me think they knew what they were doing. Even marijuana you can't grow.

[savvysearch]

I've been trying to get that answer and no one seems to know whether Californians can still order foie gras from out-of-state or country or whether that would be illegal too. Most people think it won't happen, but the wording of the bill is complicated.

[bigkoiguy]

One thing that's being overlooked in the discussion of bans on certain foods -- whether raw milk or foie gras -- is the views of large corporate agriculture. Food production is a slim margin business. Eliminating small farms and producers is key to gaining growth and market share, even if not in the same industry. If you can't eat foie gras, you ARE going to eat something else - maybe a slice of Butterball Turkey instead?

Corporate food producers have to report increased profits to Wall Street every quarter. They realize people can only eat so much. Since the only way to increase profits is to increase consumption, they'd rather have you eating THEIR products instead of foie gras. They've been effectively lobbying legislatures and regulatory agencies for years under many guises in an effort to choke out existing and emerging competitiors. [see Marion's Nestle's book "Food Politics."] Foie gras is a food that has a high profit margin and can keep a small farm alive; this ban will put existing and future small farms out of business permanently - which means fewer players in the overall food marketplace.

As a "wannabe" cheesemaker, I can say that the same is happening with artisan and raw milk cheeses -- the regulations are getting so complex and expensive that only Kraft and Sargento will be able to compete. As an example, look at what happened to Estrella Farm in Washington State (along with many other small cheesemakers that have closed there recently). Corporate agriculture is only too happy for this to occur. They are quite savvy to choke new businesses out before they can gain a foothold -- and regulations are a way to do this.

The more regulations government puts in place restricting food production to all but a few select items, the less likely it is that future competitors will emerge. Our governments are slowly handing our food supply over to corporations. That said, I am not anti-government (in fact, I work for the government) -- but we need smart regulations that favor both large and small producers.

Edited April 25, 2012 by bigkoiguy (log)

[Shalmanese]

Oh please, the consumption of foie gras is such a rounding error that any shift in consumption wouldn't remotely be worth the lobbying effort.

[ScoopKW]

Oh please, the consumption of foie gras is such a rounding error that any shift in consumption wouldn't remotely be worth the lobbying effort.

I agree that foie isn't exactly a popular item. However, many of these big corporations have the mentality, "It's not enough that I should succeed. Others must fail."

When you get down to it, this is a battle between the artisan salumi makers and Hormel. Between the artisan foie producers and Tyson (chicken livers inna bucket). Between artisan cheese makers and Sargento. They don't WANT an educated market with developed palates.

Knowledge is bad for business. They've got chicken nuggets and hot pockets to sell, after all.

[bigkoiguy]

In New York State ALONE, foie gras production is a $17.5 million industry (http://www.shepstone.net/economicreport.pdf). I have no doubt that other food producers wouldn't think twice about spending $20-30K to lobby against foie gras so that they can have a piece of that economic pie instead.

[Shalmanese]

In New York State ALONE, foie gras production is a $17.5 million industry (http://www.shepstone.net/economicreport.pdf). I have no doubt that other food producers wouldn't think twice about spending $20-30K to lobby against foie gras so that they can have a piece of that economic pie instead.

Compared to the 832 BILLION dollar US meat industry, that is indeed, tiny potatoes. To put that in perspective, if the US meat industry were a household earning $50,000 a year, putting Foie Gras out of business would net them an extra dollar.

[DaveJes1979]

It looks like online purchases to import foie gras into California is a "gray area" that the law doesn't directly address:

http://foodarts.com/news/features/16359/foie-and-its-discontents

It is true that back when foie gras was banned in Chicago, there were chefs who still served it because it was "free". That may happen here, too.

[ScoopKW]

The anti-foie people are at it again. This time taking telephoto pictures of California chefs' children and sending the pictures to them. How absolutely creepy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/foie-gras-ban-protests-bourdain_n_1509604.html

[janeer]

I think they could get a restraining order for that.

[ScoopKW]

I just wanted to add an update. I work at a high-end restaurant in Las Vegas. Our foie sales have tripled since the California ban. Californians are driving to Las Vegas and plunking down what we're charging just to try the stuff. It's great for our bottom line. But because of the ban, more people are eating foie gras than ever. Prohibition simply doesn't work.

Now we buy our foie from New York, instead of Sonoma. (And I think the Sonoma foie was better, but that's just my opinion.) And we're raking in the cash from Californians who come here to eat the "forbidden fruit" that they think they can't have at home.

Edited September 30, 2012 by ScoopKW (log)