Market Kitchen started a debate about foie gras, which left me with more questions then answers.

I have never eaten foie gras for 2 reasons,
1- I have never come into contact with it
2- I fear it may be cruel
...but I really don't know

UK food does a good job promoting free range products so it is strange that there may be a double standard about duck liver.

Please could you make a film about how foie gras is made so I can see for myself if it is cruel or not (once I have seen pictures of the ducks or geese).

If it is impossible to film the birds, maybe that proves that it is cruel and UK food should stop promoting frois gras because if something is morally wrong you shouldn't eat it, even if it is the most delicious thing in the world.

thanks

i consider it to be cruel, i didnt see the feature on market kitchen as i do not wish to watch MK, so i dont know what it covered in the feature
to me it doesnt make sense why some chefs will only cook free range meat, but are happy to use fois gras, maybe they think its ok to use cruel products if they are considered posh?

not sure why the mods cut my link out, but here you go again:
a link to an article about foie gras farming:

[link]

Maybe as that article is out of date and certainly British foie gras is NOT produced by force feeding with a tube anymore. Even the French are not using those methods in the main, and those who do are losing trade. Check where the foie gras comes from on the label and you will be able to decide whether it was produced by cruel method. Or not.

These days buying and eating Foie Gras is no different to buying and eating good British Veal, or lamb or pork.

Check where it comes from and decide from that.

agree with rosti on this one I have no compunctions (now) about eating it as long as the birds arent force fed

That's really interesting to hear. I've only eaten it once - on a trip to France a .... I loved it but feel guilty about trying it again. What's changed in the method of production to make you guys change your minds?

last nights episode of The F Word showed a short film about how foie Gras is produced in France. On watching the film I for one would never touch it again. However, they also did a taste comparison with foie gras produced humanly in Spain. Gordon Ramsey did a blind taste test and unfortunatly decided the french one was better. A shame as he had said that he would sell in his restaurants whichever one came out top.

I have not seen the MK peice,,just thought i would add this.

There was a very good segment about Foie Gras and the moral dilemma in one of the episodes in Rick Stein's French Odyssey.

As someone thats not had it,,or knew much about it, until that episode,,it proved quite an eye-opener.

Thanx Sunflower and Droach, I shall look out for those programs.

It is sad that although I posted this back in April, UKfood has not commented, but I have seen Market Kitchen promote Fois gras a further two times. I have only watched MK 5 times in total and on three of those ocasions they have promoted Fois gras.