It's no secret that the royal family are very particular about what and how they eat. Indeed,
there are a ton of food-based rules that the British monarchy has to follow, from pointing
the handles of their cutlery to the bottom right of their plate when they're finished
to never eating rare meat or shellfish when they're traveling. They each have their own
particular preferences too, of course — like how the Queen prefers her sandwiches with
the crusts cut off, for example.
But there are also some foods that are completely off-limits in the royal kitchen. And one of
those forbidden foods is foie gras. Despite the fact that this hugely expensive goose
liver dish is one of the most popular delicacies in France, the royal family are officially
banned from eating or purchasing it.
While many people may love foie gras for its rich flavor and buttery soft texture, there's
a whole lot of controversy surrounding the popular food — and it all comes down to
the method used to make it. Foie gras often involves extreme animal cruelty via a process
known as gavage. Essentially, the ducks or geese are force-fed corn through a feeding
tube that's shoved down their throats. This causes their liver to swell up to six to ten
times the size of the average bird's liver, which is not only very painful but also kills
the bird after a few days of suffering.
The birds are kept in horrific conditions, too, with thousands of animals crowded into
tiny pens, where they suffer greatly between force-feedings. This force-feeding can be
so damaging that there have been reports of lethargic birds, rampant infections, and heat
stress among them.
"When you look at how foie gras is produced, it's very very clear that for significant
periods of time, none of their basic welfare needs are being met."
This level of cruelty spurred Prince Charles to ban foie gras from the royal menu back
in 2008. Not only that, but he also considered withdrawing the royal warrant from his favorite
cheese shop, the House of Cheese, solely because they sell foie gras. At the time, the deputy
master of Prince Charles' household told the Daily Mail:
"The Prince of Wales has a policy that his chefs should not buy foie gras. His Royal
Highness was not aware that the House of Cheese sells foie gras and this will be addressed
when their warrant is reviewed."
While animal rights activists were pleased with Prince Charles' ban, they also pointed
out that it was a long time coming. Viva! spokesman Justin Kerswell said:
"We are very pleased, but foie gras should have been banned a long time ago. Foie gras
is seen as very posh and the heir to the throne is probably the poshest person in Britain,
so for him to ban it is very good news."
Despite his threats, however, Prince Charles never officially withdrew the royal warrant
from the House of Cheese. Luckily, Britain has made at least a few other cursory advances
towards discouraging the consumption of foie gras. While you can buy it at stores in the
U.K. it's illegal for companies to actually produce the delicacy on British soil. Production
of foie gras has been banned in Britain since 2006, when a new animal welfare law was put
in place.
Unfortunately for Prince Charles, however, the production ban hasn't stopped Brits from
digging into this fancy food. And while the vast majority of major retailers in the U.K.
refuse to sell foie gras, it can still be found at many smaller speciality shops, like
the House of Cheese. According to The Times, between 180 and 200 tons of foie gras are
imported into the U.K. every year, much of it coming from France. Still, that could all
be changing soon. When a potential blanket ban on foie gras was recently raised in the
U.K., a spokesperson for the British government said:
"The government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force-feeding
raises serious welfare concerns, and the practice is rightly banned in the U.K. The government
is considering the further steps it could take in relation to foie gras."
Nothing has been confirmed just yet, but it could be that the rest of the U.K. will be
joining the royals in saying a fond farewell to foie gras.
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