Victory: UK’s Largest Catering Company Removes Foie Gras from the Menu for Good

Posted by on August 6, 2012 | Permalink

It’s another win for animals as Compass Group UK & Ireland finds its moral compass and pulls ‘torture in a tin’ from menus!

The company has confirmed that it has removed foie gras from all menus. A big move, considering that Compass Group has extensive catering contracts that span top hotels, government departments and premier British sporting events – including the acclaimed Sofitel T5 at London Heathrow, the Ministry of Defence and Chelsea Football Club.

The compassionate move follows talks with PETA UK and an online campaign in which our awesome supporters (you!) appealed to the catering group to drop the vile food product.

In an e-mail sent to PETA UK, Executive Chef Nick Vadis states, “[W]e removed foie gras from Compass Group UK & Ireland’s approved product list (APL). … I can now confirm that it is no longer available for our chefs to purchase through our approved supply chain”.

In order to produce foie gras, ducks and geese are force-fed several times a day – via a pipe that is rammed down their throats – until their livers expand up to 10 times their normal size. The pipes sometimes puncture the birds’ throats, and many animals suffer from ruptured internal organs and liver failure. Heartbreaking undercover video footage documented that birds tremble in fear as they await the next assault.

Foie gras production is banned in more than 15 countries, including the UK, and the state of California last month introduced a ban on its sale. Compass Group is in good company and now joins every major supermarket in the UK as well as the Brit Awards, the BAFTAs, Lord’s Cricket Ground, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, which have all pledged never to serve or sell foie gras after learning about its cruel production from PETA. A long list of prominent figures – including Prince Charles, Sir Roger Moore, Ricky Gervais, the Duchess of Hamilton, Kate Winslet, Twiggy and Bill Oddie – have also spoken out against this vile product.

Well done Compass Group! Now let’s get foie gras out of Fortnum and Mason!

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