Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Enforcement of CA Foie Gras Ban

That was fast: Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Association des Éleveurs de Canards et d'Oies du Québec (a duck farming organization), and Los Angeles' Hot's Restaurant Group Inc. have sued the state of California saying the state's recently-enacted foie gras ban is unconstitutional and vague. The lawsuit (warning: PDF) says that the law is unclear about exactly which duck products are banned, and unfairly places the burden of figuring it out on the restaurant or distributor.

Chef Sean Chaney of Hot's tells the San Francisco Chronicle, "I think the injunction will help all chefs from the risk of unknowingly breaking the law." As it stands, the law bans products from birds that have "consume[d] more food than a typical bird of the same species would consume voluntarily," but doesn't elaborate on specific quantities of food.

So, for those keeping track: some chefs at fight the foie gras ban with lawsuits, others are signing petitions, and some are just totally ignoring it and serving special foie gras dinners. Oh well, good thing no one's really planning on enforcing it anyway.

· Foie Gras Ban Triggers California Lawsuit [SFGate]
· All Foie Gras Coverage on Eater [-E-]
[Photo: Hudson Valley Foie Gras]