SEPTEMBER 2011
CALIFORNIA TO IMPLEMENT PROMISED FG BAN JULY 2012

From  July 2012 foie gras cannot be served throughout the state of California. Foie Gras is produced using the method og gavage, or force feeding. 

California became the first state to ban foie gras as far back as 2004. Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger signed the legislation into law, which not only bans force feeding of ducks but also prohibits selling of foie gras produced that way, the fine for which violators could face  reach up to $1,000 a day.

The eight-year gap before implementation gave foie gras producers time to find alternative ways to force feed the animal, but none was found.

Gavage, or force feeding involves inserting a tube in the duck’s oesophagus.

American company Hudson Valley Foie Gras, a firm that processes 250,000 ducks yearly, said they are considering a lawsuit to challenge the California ban. California restaurants that serve the dish said they will retain foie gras on their menu.

A proposed ban on shark fin soup will be voted on by the California Assembly soon.  The California Shark Protection Act seeks to make it illegal to own, trade or sell shark fins because sharks are becoming extinct, in part because of finning.

A can of shark fin can sell for up to $600 a pound. The soup is consumed mostly by Chinese migrants to California who continue to consider the item a symbol of luxury and wealth.

TREES AT TOWNHOUSE HOTEL IN CT REMOVES FOIE GRAS MAY 2011

We are delighted to announce that TREES at the Townhouse Hotel in CT have updated their menu and will no longer serve Foie Gras!

From the general manager : "I am pleased to advise that Stefan has released his new menu this week and Foie Gras is not to be found and will not be found on our menus again. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and commend you on ensuring that this good cause is raised and hopefully cuts down on the production of Foie Gras"

BLONDE AND WILLOUGHBY AND Co AGREE TO REMOVE FOIE GRAS FEB 2011

Blonde, in Hatfield Street, Cape Town, part of the Beluga/ Sevrugra group and Willoughby's and Co at the V&A Waterfront have made the decision to remove foie gras from their menu / shelves with immediate effect. The NFG campaign applauds their pro-active move toward a more compassionatestance and encourages all supporters to visit these establishments. Further enquiries revealed that Emily's at the Waterfront and Myoga at the Vineyard Hotel had also removed Foie Gras from their menus some time ago, a fact of which we were only recently aware. We thank Mike Basset for informing us of his decision and both Myoga and Emily's have been removed from the Wall of Shame. 

MYNIE GROVè TAKES THE PLEDGE FEB 2011

Mynie, local singer, TV Personality, Songwriter/ Composer, Publisher, Producer, Music Business Activist, Business Developer, Mentor and Life Coach has this to say to the NFG campaign;‘I am intrigued by the intricacies of cooking, the science of taste and how our bodies and minds respond to it. Second to breathing food is our most important source of existing, so how can we POSSIBLY enjoy a ‘delicacy’ that is SO unnaturally and abusively created? There is NOTHING civilised or even remotely refined about Foie Gras!’

KATE MIDDLETON RISKS HER POPULARITY BY EATING FOIE GRAS FEB 2011

Kate, fiancè of Prince William, has risked not only the wrath of her future father-in-law by lunching on foie gras, which he chose to ban from royal menus three years ago, but the ire of all decent people everywhere who abhor Foie Gras. Prince Charles had imposed the ban on Foie Gras due to the cruel way it is produced.

KATE WINSLETT SAYS NO TO FOIE GRAS APRIL 2010

15 JULY 2009 CAPE TOWN MAYOR DAN PLATO TAKES THE PLEDGE!

Alderman Plato signed the pledge indicating that he will not eat Foie Gras, and that the City of Cape Town will not serve it at any functions! We are delighted that Mayor Plato has continued the compassionate stance of Cape Town and we are grateful for his unhesitating response to our request. The pledge may be viewed here  files/mayor plato pledge nfg.pdf

JUNE 2009 LA VIERGE, HERMANUS, REMOVED FROM Wall of Shame

La Vierge < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >
In a letter to the campaign, Mr Hein Kisterin writes "Since our new chef, Helen Butler, took over the kitchen, she has refused to serve this.  Also, in my own capacity have I refused certain group bookings due to the fact that they requested Foie Gras on their menu."

We are delighted to note thay have staken this stance and we commend them on their compassionate views. We encourage all in the neighbourhood of Hemel en Aarde Hermanus to support La Vierge.


JUNE 2009 - COSTCO BANS FOIE GRAS

Costco has stopped selling goose foie gras! The company is playing the decision as primarily economic, noting minimal sales of the product of torture. But according to San Francisco's SF Weekly, Costco's food buyer Mike Dorpat "...said he'd researched force-feeding practices in foie gras production. "We purposely didn't put duck foie gras on, because they do have smaller necks, so it's easier to damage them in the feeding process." He said the French company that supplied Costco had assured the retailer its feeding practices were "believed to not be a stressful experience for the animals." "Quite honestly, we couldn't verify the vendor's claims," Dorpat said. He added that low consumer demand, combined with a looming 2012 foie gras ban in California (that IDA members worked so hard to achieve,) led Costco to remove the product.

APRIL 2009 - BERKLEY AGAINST FOIE GRAS

Another city has joined the move against foie gras.Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night in favor of a resolution that supports the city's position against the purchase of the dish.

The importance of this item is to raise awareness of the really inhumane practice of force-feeding geese and ducks to create foie gras," Berkeley Councilmember Jesse Arreguin said, according to DailyCal .The East Bay city is not the first to enact a resolution of this sort. San Francisco also sided with geese when it passed a similar resolution in March.The resolutions come in advance of state law that will begin banning the fatty duck or goose liver in three years.

Several other countries have also made the move against the dish. The Web site banfoiegras.com lists those countries

MARCH 2009 - FOIE GRAS LINKED TO SERIOUS HUMAN DISEASE - REPORT FEB 2007

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/diet/is-foie-gras-a-health-hazard/2007/07/02/1183351109963.html

Put simply, force-feeding makes animals sick. To produce the succulent livers, tubes are inserted into the birds' throats and corn mush is pumped in, massively inflating the animals and making them tasty.

When animals are stressed for any number of reasons, their livers go into overdrive, making more of a specific type of protein that is linked to inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis. If the stress is prolonged, the excess protein may build up and bunch together as amyloids -


FEB 2009 MELISSA'S REMOVE FOIE GRAS FROM THEIR STORES WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT