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What? Is it cat?" The reactions were gratinated. On 21 December, the animal rights association Peta published a video on social media, which shows a woman strolling through the streets of Strasbourg, a tray of foie gras in hand, and offering it to passers-by who visit the city's Christmas market.
They taste the product and thank the saleswoman: "It's very good," says one consumer. The young woman smiles: "This is not the foie gras you know. It's cat." Faces freeze, a passer-by represses a gagging. "The cat has a liver that is much more extensible," the saleswoman continues, smiling. "That's what they're bred for. Sounds like purring, doesn't it? Disgusted passers-by find it hard to believe, some even saying they want to file a complaint against the young woman.
A long-standing opposition to force-feeding
In reality, this rather peculiar foie gras is not of feline origin, but vegetable: it is a "faux-gras", made from cashew nuts. For Peta, which organized this hoax, the intention is clear: "Goose or cat foie gras, what's the difference?" the association asked in a statement. "How can we explain being outraged at the idea of cats being caught and force-fed only to be violently killed two weeks later [...], but finding this treatment completely normal when it comes to ducks or geese – which feel pain and fear just as much as the animals that share our homes?" spokesperson for Peta France.
The association suggests that consumers turn to the plant-based option, judging the practice of force-feeding "so cruel". "The European Union has been opposing this practice since 1998 with a directive," Peta continues. France remains the world's leading producer, consumer and exporter of foie gras.
The foie gras sector in difficulty
In Strasbourg, the scene of this hoax, the ecologist mayor Jeanne Barseghian had taken the decision in November 2021 to ban foie gras for her municipal events out of "concern for eco-responsibility and exemplarity", she justified in a press release. A decision that provoked an outcry from foie gras producers in Alsace.
After a catastrophic year in 2022 for producers, hit by Covid, the closure of restaurants, and repeated avian episodes, 2023 is expected to be another complicated year for the sector. As the holidays approach and despite a 20% increase in production in one year, labels have shown a price increase of 20 to 30% over the past two years in some shops. This is disappointing for some households, who often wait until the last minute to do their shopping in the hope of taking advantage of promotions.