A California court has reportedly ruled that Californians can buy foie gras from out-of-state sellers and have it delivered within the state to avoid the state's ban on sales or gifts of foie gras. The ruling applies only to individual purchasers, as restaurants and retailers are still prohibited from selling foie gras, according to the Associated Press. “There is no principled way to distinguish between foie gras purchased out of state and transported into California by the purchaser and that which is delivered by a third party,” the court reportedly held.
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The New York City Council has reportedly voted to ban the sale of foie gras produced from force-fed animals within the city, citing cruelty concerns. The law, which will take effect in 2022, will impose a $2,000 fine per violation and applies only to force-fed foie gras. "[D]etermining whether foie gras was illegally produced may present an enforcement challenge," The New York Times notes; "documentary" evidence will be required to show that foie gras was produced without force-feeding.
The New York Times has published a piece on the city's proposed ban on force-fed foie gras. The authors speak to several stakeholders—including chefs, city council members and veterinarians—and tour the upstate New York production facilities of two of the country's three foie gras farms. The authors note that foie gras, "a luxury item," is "an easy target" for "anti-snobs." "It's enjoyed by foodies and gourmets: people most of this country resents," the author of The Foie Gras Wars reportedly told the paper. The authors note that the employees of the production facilities—where "[n]o ducks appeared unable to walk," they report, contradicting rumors about the production process—were worried about losing their jobs. "That’s 400 people, sure, but really, that’s 400 families," the head chef at one facility reportedly said, referencing the number of employees who work at both upstate New York facilities.
A councilwoman has reportedly proposed to criminalize the sale of foie gras in New York City, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to examine California's force-fed foie gras ban. The bill would make the sale of foie gras a misdemeanor and allow the imposition of a one-year prison sentence and fines up to $1,000 for each offense. "Force-feeding a bird for the sole purpose of making it sick to create some bizarre delicacy is gruesome and inhumane. This may have been acceptable in 2500 BC but I think we know better now," a councilman who supports the bill is quoted as saying.
Following a California settlement, Amazon has reportedly agreed to stop selling foie gras produced from force-fed ducks and geese. The settlement between the company and Los Angeles County stems from a lawsuit alleging that Amazon violated a 2004 California law banning the sale of the products. Under the agreement, Amazon will not sell—or allow its third-party sellers to offer for sale—force-fed foie gras in California for five years. A lawsuit seeking to invalidate the ban awaits a ruling on certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court after the Ninth Circuit found that the statute was not preempted by the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
The Ninth Circuit has upheld California’s ban on force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras, finding the state’s law is not preempted by the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). Assoc. des Éleveurs de Canards et d’Oies du Québec v. Becerra, No. 15- 55192 (9th Cir., opinion filed September 15, 2017). In 2013, the Ninth Circuit rejected a constitutional challenge to the ban filed by the same plaintiffs. The court reversed a grant of summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, who challenged the state’s ban on sales or production of foie gras made from force-fed birds. First, the court held the ban is not expressly preempted by the PPIA because the federal statute’s “ingredient” requirement addresses the components of poultry products, not husbandry or feeding practices, and California’s law does not ban all foie gras—only that made from force-fed birds. “Nothing in the federal law … limits a state’s…
A California federal court has granted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) motion for summary judgment in a case alleging the agency acted arbitrarily in denying a petition to prohibit foie gras produced from force-fed poultry. Animal Legal Def. Fund v. USDA, No. 12-4028 (C.D. Cal., order entered December 14, 2016). In the petition for rulemaking, several animal rights organizations and individuals argued force-feeding poultry caused hepatic lipidosis in the animals, rendering them unhealthy and unsafe for consumption; USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) disagreed, finding that the buildup of fat from force-feeding did not make the liver unsafe to consume, unlike buildup related to disease. The court first determined that the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other plaintiff organizations had standing to sue, but the plaintiff individuals did not. Turning to the merits of the case, the court considered the plaintiffs’ three challenges to FSIS’s decision: (i) “its explanation for…
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) can sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its Food Safety and Inspection Service’s denial of a petition for rulemaking on prohibiting force-fed foie gras. Animal Legal Def. Fund v. U.S. Dep’t of Agric., No. 13-55868 (9th Cir., order entered December 7, 2015). The district court had dismissed the action sua sponte after determining the denial was equivalent to a non-enforcement decision and thus not reviewable by the court. The appeals court described two exceptions that limit when an individual can challenge a final agency decision in court under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), finding the district court had erred in determining the foie gras denial fell into one of the exceptions. The court distinguished “agency decisions not to take enforcement actions,” which cannot be subjected to judicial review and involve past breaches of existing…
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleging a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) based on USDA’s lack of response to ALDF’s 2011 rulemaking petition requesting mandatory labeling on foie gras produced through the forced feeding of ducks or geese. Animal Legal Def. Fund v. U.S. Dep’t of Agric., No. 15-5063 (N.D. Cal., San Francisco Div., filed November 5, 2015). ALDF argues that force-fed foie gras products are mislabeled because USDA certifies them as “[i]nspected for wholesomeness” despite the fact that force-feeding “induces a metabolic disease and commonly results in the onset of all of the conditions mentioned in [USDA’s Poultry Products Inspection Act].” The organization seeks a declaration that USDA has violated the APA and an injunction compelling the agency to substantively respond to the petition. “The USDA is responsible for ensuring that all poultry products that…
A California appeals court has rejected a Napa restaurant’s attempt to circumvent the state’s foie gras ban by describing it as a gift for ordering another dish then arguing that a resulting suit brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) seeking an injunction was merely a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) in violation of the state anti-SLAPP statute. Animal Legal Def. Fund v. LT Napa Partners LLC, No. A139615 (Cal. Ct. App., order entered March 5, 2015). Additional information on the foie gras ban, which a California federal court struck down in January 2015, appears in Issue 550 of this Update. Kenneth Frank, the head chef at Napa’s La Toque restaurant, was a vocal opponent of California’s foie gras ban; he testified at state senate hearings, participated in public debates and authored a newspaper opinion piece on the subject. On three occasions, ALDF sent an investigator to La Toque…
