Get foie gras out of the 2024 Olympics

The Olympics has begun and the Olympic Organizing Committee has allowed foie gras to remain on its menu, despite the campaign led by Animal Equality and joined by OIPA and many international NGOs to remove this product from the Olympics’ VIP hospitality menu.

Olympic athletes, academics, experts and conservationists have also signed an open letter to the organizers. The letter expresses concerns over the foie gras industry’s impact on animals, the environment, and human health.

Signatories include high-profile conservationist Chris Packham, New Zealand professional tennis player and Olympic bronze medalist Marcus Daniell, and former American cyclist and Olympic silver medalist Dotsie Bausch.

The action comes after recent reports that foie gras made by force-feeding will be served on-site to VIP guests who purchase hospitality packages. This discovery has sparked public outcry and led to over 45,000 signatures on a petition calling for the dish to be struck from the menu.

Due to commence later this month, the organizers of the Games have prioritized sustainability, with 60% of dishes on offer being either vegetarian or vegan. Olympic Games Chef Charles Guilloy has publicly stated that he is not featuring foie gras on spectator menus since “animal well-being is on everyone’s mind,” causing many to question why it is being served in premium lounges.

The letter, coordinated by international animal protection organization Animal Equality, is supported by veterinarians, law scholars, animal advocates, as well as university researchers with expertise in infectious diseases, public health, animal behaviour, and food systems. The letter outlines their collective concerns centered around the impact of foie gras production on animal welfare, the environment, and human health. Those endorsing the action claim that the organizing committee is “hypocritically signaling to the international community that it is willing to consciously condone and pay for undeniably wicked treatment towards animals.”

Read the Letter

Ducks and geese used for foie gras are force-fed up to 63 times during their lifetime, a practice that causes extreme physical and psychological pain. Scientists have observed “panic and flight responses” as a result. Once the bird’s liver becomes diseased, the animal is slaughtered. Ducks in this industry live 3-5% of their natural lifespan, and geese live 2-3% of theirs.

Condemned by many, force-feeding for foie gras has been widely criticized for decades and is a crime in many countries, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, and the UK. Urging the organizers to remove foie gras from the menu, those backing the letter believe that the International Olympic Committee “must use its influential position to unite the world, not divide it” and “not ignore the concerns of the global population.”

Supporters of the action also point to the resource-intensive operations involved in foie gras production, which they claim requires “copious amounts of corn for force-feeding practices.”
The experts express alarm over the cultivation and transport of monoculture grains, water usage, and synthetic fertilizers, which contribute to reduced and depleted biodiversity, soil nutrients, water quality, and ecosystems, while increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

What is foie gras?

Foie gras, a French delicacy known for its high fat content, has been linked to various health concerns, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The production of foie gras, which involves force-feeding ducks and geese, has also come under fire for its negative impact on animal welfare and the environment.

A recent poll..

found that a significant majority of French citizens oppose the practice of force-feeding animals, with 74% deeming it unjustified. Animal rights organizations worldwide are calling on the organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics to remove foie gras from the event’s menu, citing health risks, animal welfare concerns, and environmental sustainability issues.

 

Here you can find an article Animal Equality UK has published regarding the end of the campaign