Calafornian fois gras ban irrelevant say French producers

By Claire Renwick

French fois gras producers say the recent decision by the Government of Calafornia to ban sales of the delicacy over cruelty concerns, will make no difference to demand. Restaurants in the American state now face fines of a thousand dollars for serving the food, which is made by force feeding ducks and geese to fatten up their livers. Indeed Calafornia is just the latest name on a growing list of places to outlaw the delicay. Back in 2006, York City Council became the first in the UK to ban sales of it on it’s premises. But fois gras remains as popular as ever in it’s homeland of France, where it is seen as an integral part of local culture and tradition. Christian Leonard is a producer in the Tarn, Southwest France, the region where most of the food is made. With French consumers making up three quaters of global fois gras sales, he tells International Supermarket News he doesn’t think the move will have any impact on his trading. ” The American market counts for less than one percent of our sales, so I’m not at all concerned by the ruling. In fact, my Calafornian customers have our products shipped over for private parties which aren’t affected by the ban, so it’s business as usual for me”.
The very nature of the production of fois gras will always spark controversey. But for many people, especially the French, it remains as important a part of fine dining, as good wine and cheese.

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