The ban on traditional foie gras at official events in eco-friendly cities like Lyon, Strasbourg, or Grenoble has caused a stir ahead of the Christmas holidays, although these measures are not new.
Animal welfare organizations welcomed the initiatives. “Today the tide is turning in France against this extremely cruel product, and commitments not to serve foie gras are lining up, especially from city administrations contacted by Peta and its supporters,” the association Peta said in a press release, welcoming the “good news.” The industry association Cifog (Interprofession du foie gras) expressed that it was “shocked and outraged” by the decisions and called them an “insult to all French producers who raise their animals with passion and under strict compliance with animal welfare.”
Also read: Mayor’s Office of Lyon Confirms Ban on Foie Gras at Official Receptions
“Cultural and Gastronomic Heritage”
Now the chefs who like to use foie gras in their holiday menus have entered the debate. Fourteen chef associations have just signed a “Manifesto in Support of the Foie Gras Industry”. Pointing out that foie gras “has been recognized in France since 2006 as a protected cultural and gastronomic heritage,” these chefs commit to “honoring foie gras as an inexhaustible source of culinary inspiration during holidays and throughout the entire year; to formally suggest to the mayors in question to reconsider their decision; and to ensure the quality of foie gras production methods in France by enabling one or more of their members to visit a breeding farm, a gavage (force-feeding) or processing workshop.”
The signatories include Jean-Marc Manach, president of the Académie nationale de cuisine; Alain Fontaine, president of the Association française des maîtres restaurateurs; and Guillaume Gomez, president of the Cuisiniers de la République and co-president of Euro-Toques France.