Chicago Takes Foie Gras Off Menu

Chicago is not famous for being squeamish about food. Its slaughterhouses once turned it into the meat production capital of the world, earning the nickname Porkopolis.

But that was then. Today, Chicago has taken a lead in humane food production. The city council voted this week to ban the production and sale of foie gras, the first US city to do so.

Restaurants in Chicago offer it in various forms, from appetisers to desserts, and in various combinations, from foie gras and tuna tartare to foie gras and ostrich. That will end on June 26, when the ban comes into effect. Anyone ignoring the new regulations will face an initial $500 (£277) fine.

Restaurant owners complain that the ban is an unnecessary interference by the city council. The city's mayor, Richard Daley, has also expressed reservations. "We have children getting killed by gang leaders and dope dealers," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "And we're dealing with foie gras? Let's get some priorities."

But on Wednesday, councillors ignored him and voted 48-1 in favour of the ban.

In the run-up to the war in Iraq, the ban might have been seen as part of US public hostility towards French goods. But much of the foie gras eaten in Chicago is produced in the US, with the biggest farm in the Hudson Valley.

Gene Bauston, president of the animal rights group Farm Sanctuary, said: "This law is consistent with the humane sentiments of Chicago citizens and codifies our societal belief that all animals, including those raised for food, should be treated with compassion."

Foie gras is produced by force-feeding grain to ducks and geese through a pipe inserted into their throats so their livers expand up to 10 times their normal size.