Following talks with PETA in 2008, Fortnum & Mason stated that it would no longer sell duck foie gras. I am sorry to tell you that Fortnum & Mason continues to sell goose foie gras in its store and serve duck foie gras in its restaurants.
All major supermarkets in the UK have refused to stock foie gras, and celebrities such as Sir Roger Moore and Kate Winslet have spoken out against the vile product. Despite numerous attempts to contact Fortnum & Mason this year, the retailer refuses to respond to our requests to meet and discuss ending the sale of this "delicacy of despair". Having previously persuaded both Selfridges and Harvey Nichols to drop foie gras, Moore is joining forces with PETA once more and has now turned his attention to Fortnum and Mason, starting by firing off a letter to the retailer.
Deprived of everything that is natural to them, ducks and geese who are used in foie gras production suffer from frustration and stress. They are crammed into tiny pens or individual cages fouled with faeces and blood and often develop skeletal disorders and respiratory problems as a result. Pipes are shoved down their throats several times a day to force approximately two kilograms of grain, maize and fat into their stomachs. In human terms, that is the equivalent of roughly 20 kilograms of pasta.
The pipes sometimes puncture the birds' throats, causing them unbearable pain and making it impossible to drink. Pumps used to force food into the birds' stomachs can cause severe tissue damage and internal bleeding. This painful overfeeding process can even cause the birds' internal organs to rupture. Those who survive the forced-feedings suffer intensely as their livers swell to up to 10 times their normal size. After several weeks of this torture, the birds are hung upside down and slaughtered, and their livers are sold as foie gras.
You Can Help
Join compassionate people around the world in speaking out against the sale of this product. Please contact Fortnum & Mason and urge the company to immediately stop selling and serving foie gras.
http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=8725
