Farm Sanctuary
National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business
Bureaus earlier this week recommended that D'Artagnan Inc. discontinue
certain advertising claims regarding its Artisan foie gras --
specifically that "the liver is not diseased, simply enlarged", and
that the animals are hand-raised "under the strictest of animal care
standards." NAD's inquiry found that the former claim had not been
adequately substantiated, and that the latter is not only inconsistent
with the evidence in the record, but not supported by any evidence
provided by D'Artagnan. (Farm Sanctuary's No Foie Gras Campaign
has compiled copious documentation from leading avian veterinarians
explaining how foie gras production causes ducks and geese to contract
a fatty liver disease known as "hepatic lipidosis".)
Following a challenge by the Humane Society of the United States, NAD
underwent a lengthy review of Internet advertising for the product. As
a self-regulatory forum of the advertising industry, NAD does not take
a position on what constitutes humane treatment of animals or other
ethical considerations associated with foie gras production. Yet NAD
also recognized that consumers cannot typically verify the accuracy of
animal welfare practices for themselves, and that its role therefore
included the study of relevant scientific evidence and consumer
expectations to ensure that the advertising was not misleading. After
doing so, NAD found that the claims were indeed misleading, and
recommended that D'Artagnan discontinue them. D'Artagnan issued a
statement saying that it "strongly disagrees with NAD's decision but
nonetheless will comply and modify its advertising." How ironic that
this decision is being forced down D'Artagnan's throat.
Miami's local chefs weighed in on the issue of foie gras in our 2006 feature story Foie Wars.
Now, two-and-a-half years later, it is interesting to note that only
Giancarla Bodoni of Escopazzo has stuck to her words and kept foie gras
off her menu. Others, such as Michelle Bernstein, Jonathan Eismann, and
Johnny Vinczencz, each professed to be wrestling with their conscience
over the ethical implications of force-feeding animals, but have
continued to serve foie gras in their respective restaurants.
Apparently they concluded that torture is bad, but a $25 appetizer is a
$25 appetizer.
