Ganso Iberico, The Ethical Foie Gras?
The Spanish company Pateria de Sousa produces a foie gras called Ganso Iberico, which they're marketing as an ethical foie gras because they avoid "the process known as la gavage - force-feeding birds with grain by using a metal tube - by allowing geese to stock up on extra food naturally in preparation for their normal winter migration to Africa. They are slaughtered once they have fattened themselves for their expected long flight south." Ganso Iberico is only produced once a year because of migration, and is even more expensive than traditional foie gras, which costs £10 to its £16 for just 2½oz (70g).
Interesting factoid thrown out in the article: "Although the production of foie gras is banned in the UK, the British remain among the world's largest consumers, with 4,270 tons sold every year." Not that the list of nations that consume foie gras in notable quantities is likely to be very long, but it seems strange (illogical? hypocritical?) that a country that seems to love it so much can also ban national production of the stuff.
Previously: Hot Doug's Falls Foul Of Chicago Foie Gras Ban, NYC Foie Gras Wars. Our Megnut also wrote quite a lot about foie gras last year.
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2 Comments:
I read someplace that French are the world's largest consumers of the stuff. Or was it producers ?
Anyway, I wonder what is the reaction to this ethical brand in Chicago & LA where foie gras banned as well.
Mr. K at 12:57PM on 02/26/07
It's not available in the US yet, but there's a farm in South Dakota - Schiltz Goose Farm - that's producing a similar product and a couple of restaurants are trying it out. It's also available through mail order.
If you're interested, I interviewed Schiltz on my blog:
http://foieblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/interview-with-jim-schiltz-developer-of.html
grasguy at 3:07PM on 03/29/07