Washington D.C. Voters to Decide Fate of Foie Gras in Upcoming Ballot Measure

The renowned delicacy, foie gras, may soon be absent from Washington D.C. menus as voters prepare to cast their ballots on Tuesday regarding a potential ban. Initiative 86, a referendum on the ballot, aims to "prohibit any person from force-feeding a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird's livery beyond normal size" and to "ban the sale or distribution of any product" derived from this practice, explicitly including foie gras. Violators would face civil penalties.

Foie gras is produced from the enlarged livers of ducks and geese that undergo a process of overfeeding known as gavage. Pro-Animal DC, the organization spearheading the ban effort, asserts that this practice is inhumane. Their website states that the process "makes birds so diseased and sick that many can barely walk or stand, as they become too heavy for their legs to hold them". The group has reportedly spent over $470,000 on lobbying efforts, according to a filing with the District of Columbia's Office of Campaign Finance. The referendum garnered 46,020 signatures, the highest number in the city's history, to secure its place on Tuesday's ballot.

Residents in Denver, Colorado, will also be voting on a similar ban. Foie gras sales are already prohibited in California, New York City, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A ban is also slated to take effect in Portland, Oregon, by the end of this year. Brazil enacted a ban on the product earlier this year, and India was the first country to impose such a ban in 2014. Production of foie gras is also banned in Australia, Argentina, and several European nations.

Approximately 50 restaurants in Washington D.C. currently offer foie gras, including Butterworth's on Capitol Hill, a popular spot for individuals associated with President Donald Trump's circle. Bart Hutchins, the owner of Butterworth's, recently introduced a $150 four-course foie gras tasting menu as a protest against the initiative. In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post in June, Mr. Hutchins argued that overfeeding is a natural behavior for birds, who gorge themselves before their annual migration. He stated, "What foie gras farming does is amplify a natural biological process rather than invent a cruel one. Recorded instances of force-feeding date back thousands of years, to an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph."

Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen and owner of several restaurants in the district, has also voiced his opposition. He posted on X, "Let’s ban beef and pork and chicken … and also vegetables too because is a study that says that maybe indications of suffering. We have children hungry in USA and the World … lets end hunger and then we talk." If the ban is approved, it would be implemented on July 1 of next year. However, Hudson Valley Foie Gras is reportedly consulting with lawyers regarding a potential legal challenge, according to Axios.