Animal Lovers Blow Whistle on Sale of Cruelly Produced Fatty Liver After Statewide Ban
For Immediate Release:
November 28, 2012
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Hermosa Beach, Calif. -- When California's ban on foie gras sales went into effect on July 1, Hot's Kitchen in Hermosa Beach tried to pull one over on law enforcement, changing the name of its "Foie Gras Burger" to "THE Burger" and keeping it on the menu, advertising that "THE Burger" comes with "a complimentary side of foie gras." PETA reported the restaurant's activities to the Hermosa Beach Police Department, but local authorities have had a lot on their plate and have yet to make their move. Now, PETA has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Hot's Kitchen alleging that the restaurant is violating both the foie gras sales ban and California's Unfair Competition Law, which prohibits businesses from engaging in unlawful business practices.
"No restaurant can act outside the law by illegally selling the diseased livers of abused birds, and PETA will help make sure that this one doesn't," says general counsel to PETA Jeff Kerr. "Serving a 'complimentary side of foie gras' is as cruel as it is unlawful."
Foie gras, French for "fat liver," is made from the grossly enlarged livers of ducks and geese. Pipes are shoved down the birds' throats, and up to 4 pounds of grain and fat are pumped into their stomachs two or three times a day. The birds' livers become diseased and swell to up to 10 times their normal size. The pipes puncture many birds' throats, causing some animals to bleed to death. Investigations at major foie gras farms in the U.S. as well as at many farms across Europe have revealed sick, dying, and dead animals.
Fifteen countries have banned foie gras production, including Australia, Germany, Israel, and the U.K. It has been denounced by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, and many grocers, including Giant Eagle, Harris Teeter, Target, and Whole Foods.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.