The delicacy foie gras could soon disappear from menus in Washington, as voters in the nation's capital are set to decide on Tuesday whether or not to ban it.
The referendum, known as Initiative 86, would “prohibit any person from force-feeding a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird's livery beyond normal size” and “ban the sale or distribution of any product” resulting from the practice, “including foie gras”. Those found in violation would face civil penalties.
The dish is made from the enlarged livers of ducks and geese that are overfed through a force-feeding process known as gavage. Pro-Animal DC, the group driving the effort to ban foie gras, argues this practice is inhumane, saying on its website the process “makes birds so diseased and sick that many can barely walk or stand, as they become too heavy for their legs to hold them”.
It has spent more than $470,000 in lobbying efforts, according to a filing with the District of Columbia's Office of Campaign Finance.
The referendum received 46,020 signatories to appear on Tuesday's ballot, the most in the city's history. Residents in Denver, Colorado will also vote on whether to ban it.
Selling foie gras has been banned in California, New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A ban is set to go into effect in Portland, Oregon, before the end of this year.
Brazil banned the product this year, while India became the first country to impose a ban on it in 2014. Production of foie gras is also banned in Australia, Argentina and several European countries.
About 50 restaurants in Washington sell foie gras, including Butterworth's, an establishment on Capitol Hill that has become a hangout for some in President Donald Trump's orbit.
However, Bart Hutchins, who owns the restaurant, recently introduced a $150 four-course foie gras tasting menu to protest against the initiative. In an opinion piece for The Washington Post in June, Mr Hutchins said overfeeding is something birds naturally do, gorging themselves before their annual migration.
“What foie gras farming does is amplify a natural biological process rather than invent a cruel one. Recorded instances of force-feeding date back thousands of years, to an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph,” he wrote.
Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen who owns several restaurants in the district, also came out in opposition.
“Let’s ban beef and pork and chicken … and also vegetables too because is a study that says that maybe indications of suffering,” he wrote on X. “We have children hungry in USA and the World … lets end hunger and then we talk.”
If approved, the ban would go into effect on July 1 of next year, although Hudson Valley Foie Gras said it is consulting lawyers about a potential legal challenge, Axios reported.
