Victory! Selfridges Stops Selling Foie Gras! November 16, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at November 16, 2009 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack

At a normal office, Mondays can be pretty boring. Here in peta2, we're celebrating a huge victory for ducks and geese—thanks to PETA UK and compassionate consumers everywhere!

Two years ago, PETA UK began urging Selfridges—a major chain store there— to stop selling foie gras. Foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks and geese, often resulting in wounds, and with ducks and geese growing up to ten times their natural size.

Needless to say, anyone who knows right from wrong can see that foie gras is disgusting, and we are thrilled to announce that after years of demonstrations, and thousands of letters and calls from caring people like you, Selfridges has pledged to stop selling foie gras forever!

This towering triumph is proof that every e-mail, phone call, and letter matters. Thanks for speaking up for ducks and geese!

Urge Tesco to Ditch the Foie Gras! February 19, 2009

Posted by Marta at February 19, 2009 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Sarah in the UK wants to let you know about ways you can help ducks and geese right now!
-Marta

Almost no supermarket chain in the UK will carry foie gras—AKA (to you and I) "torture in a tin." So why is it that Tesco in the UK have taken it off their shelves, but their stores in Hungary are still quite willing to sell the "fatty liver"? It really doesn't make any sense!

Wherever foie gras is sold, it is still the diseased liver of ducks or geese, who are forced to live in complete misery from the day that they are born until the day they die. After being forced fed by a pipe that is shoved down their throat, they are finally slaughtered once their livers have swollen up to 10 times the normal size.

Despite a recent investigation into the cruel Hungarian foie gras industry, Tesco continues to unapologetically sell the product in Hungary.

It is imperative that Tesco get foie gras off their shelves for good. Those of you in the U.S will recognise the company as Fresh & Easy.

This is the part where you make things happen—please urge Tesco to ditch the foie gras.

Deflocked! February 28, 2008

Posted by Marta at February 28, 2008 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

Check out this week's Deflocked about foie gras.

Click for a larger version
To check out past installments, click here.



♥ Marta

Russell Simmons Ain't Duckin' Around with Chicago November 5, 2007

Posted by Cassandra at November 5, 2007 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Everybody knows Russell Simmons is forward-thinking. The vegan founder of Def Jam signed all the classic cats: Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy (the list goes on). He knew they'd hit it big back when most people thought rapping had something to do with birthday presents. Now, the good-natured godfather of hip hop is using the power of the pen to school the Windy City on staying ahead of the game.

Photo credit: Salon/Creative Commons.
See, last year the Chicago City Council banned foie gras - a nasty dip that's made by shoving sick amounts of grain down ducks throats with a pipe until they become painfully ill and their livers fail from being bloated and diseased. After killing the ducks, they take out the engorged liver, toss it in a blender, put it on a cracker, and charge rich people a shit-load of money to eat it. I know—it's just the meanest, stupidest, grossest thing ever. French nobility came up with this "delicacy" during the dark ages, and that's where it should have stayed.

Now that it's the 21st century, foie gras production is banned in 15 countries plus, the state of California. But Chicago did even better than that by banning the sale of the sadistic substance citywide. But just one year later, industry groups are fighting hard to get rid of the ban.

Russell, being the ever-mindful mogul, found out about it and sent the city council a letter saying foie gras is "wretched" and "abusive." He's disappointed in The Chi for thinking about backing down on a landmark move, and he's urging them not to give in to a handful of high-end restaurant owners and chefs who think they can do whatever they want.

Way to go Russell for keeping hip hop in the heart and the Chitown City Council in check!

You wanna force foie gras to flex? If you live in Chicago, holler at your alderman. If you live somewhere else, and run into foie gras at a restaurant or grocery store, holler at the manager.

Peace, y'all -
Cassandra

P.S. - For the rest of you humane hip hoppers, check out RapHappy.com and see if you can come up with compassionate lyrics like these:

I don't eat no meat, no dairy, no sweets
Only ripe vegetables, fresh fruit and whole wheat...

Life brings life, it's valuable, so I eat what comes
From the ground, it's natural
Let your food be your medicine
(From Dead Prez's "Be Healthy")

-or-

In the slaughterhouse full of germs and flies
Off with the head, they pack it, drain it, and cart it
And there it is, in your local supermarket
Red and bloody, a corpse, neatly packed
And you wonder about heart attacks?
(From KRS-One's "Beef")

-or-

Over a billion served
What they never deserved
So as they drove away they swerved into the curb
With their heads on the steering wheel
Kids blacked out in the back with a fucking Happy Meal
What a crappy deal...

The parking lot is now a burial plot
Where you can park and rot if you can find a spot
(From Mr. Lif's "The Fries")

-or-

Even if the meat wasn't genetically processed
It's all a bloody mess...

I'm a human being
Who doesn't kill to get his protein
(From LMNO's "No Eyes, No Mouth")

UK Council Bans Foie Gras October 5, 2007

Posted by Marta at October 5, 2007 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

Here's a special guest blog from Martin with peta2 UK!

Well things are looking up in the UK as York Council has voted in favour of banning foie gras in their town. It really makes a difference to me when I see people in council opening their eyes to the suffering that animals are forced to go through on a daily basis so that people can eat a 'delicacy'. Hopefully York's forward thinking will promote other councils towards thinking about animal issues and maybe even taking steps like this to ban pointless cruelty.

For those of you who don't know, foie gras is the diseased liver of a duck or goose. For the last few weeks of their short lives they are force fed huge amounts of grain by having a tube rammed down their throats. Their livers soon swell and by the time of slaughter they are often up to 10 times their normal size. This practice is illegal in the UK so restaurants who still wish to serve this disgusting dish have to import from France and other countries. Hopefully with councils like York this will be a thing of the past in the UK!

A big thank you should go out to Labour Councillor Paul Blanchard for putting forward the motion.

Martin