Calif.'s
move to ban foie gras reflects humane- labeling trend
NATION'S RESTAURANT NEWS - September 6, 2004
BY ERICA DUECY
While
California's Legislature last month became the first in the nation
to pass a bill banning foie gras produced through the forcefeeding
of fowl, consumers' concerns about the treatment of farm animals
were inducing restaurateurs to participate in a "certified humane" labeling
program.
Equinox,
a nationally acclaimed restaurant in Washington, D.C., this month
became the first high-profile dining establishment to offer foods
that almost entirely are certified by the Humane Farm Animal
Care Program. a national nonprofit organization based in Herndon.
Va.
HFAC's
year-old food labeling initiative now involves 16 certified producers
of beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs. sheep, broiler chickens, laying
chickens and turkeys. Three more producers are expected to receive
certification later this month. HFAC is backed by the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Humane
Society of the United States and regional and local animal-protection
organizations.
"The
purpose of the program is to change the way farm animals are
raised in the United States - by creating a marketplace demand
for humane and healthy farm animals," said Adele Douglass, HFAC's
executive director.
The
organization's Certified Humane label is said to he based on
strict animal-handling standards, on-site inspections of farms
in the program and verification of the inspection proem by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Services,
Douglass said. The program requires that animals receive a nutritious
diet without antibiotics or growth hormones and must be raised
cage-free, with shelter, resting areas and space sufficient to
support natural behavior. she added.
According
to Equinox owners Todd and Ellen Gray, the decision to join the
movement was based on politics and product quality. Ellen Gray
is an animal welfare advocate. andher husband, (fie restaurant's
chef. focuses on ingredient quality.
"The
color of the flesh, the flavor, the freshness of the meat and
how the product holds up when it's cooked - that's what's most
important to me." Todd Gray said. "The meat I get from my [certified-humane]
producers is certainly in another class of quality.
 |
| * Meets
the Humane Farm Animal Care Program standards, which include
nutritious diet without antibiotics, or hormones, animals
raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space and
the ability to engage in natural behaviors. |
Restaurant participation
in the Certified Humane program is free, but participating producers
are required to complete a 20-page application, pay an inspection
fee that varies according to the farm's size and make the farm's
records
available to HFAC inspectors.
Most dishes at Equinox are branded
with the "Humane Certified Raised& Handled" logo. However,
some items on the menu, such as foie gras - the liver of force-fed
(owl - are not currently available through the certification
program.
"I try to use sustainable fish,
organic farmed vegetables and humanely farmed meats, but there's
a point at which I think you've got to be rea I listic," Todd
Gray said. "There's too much of a demand for foie gras to take
it off the menu."
Veal also will no( immediately be
labeled, but the Grays are wor king with their veal producer
to help it obtain certification. "Veal is a lot closer than foie
gras fight now to being certified," Ellen Gray said. "Eventually,
we'd like Io serve only humane certified items, but the supply
is not there yet."
Among the prominent New York restaurants
that are now buying certified-humane products are Nobu, The Four
Seasons and Tavern on the Green.
The increased demand for certification
comes in the wake of health scares and animal abuse scandals
that have plagued the foodservice industry. Those ongoing concerns
include incidents of bovine spongiform encephlopathy or mad cow
disease, and more recent events, such as the USDA's recall of
more than 400,000 pounds of beef in August - 80,000 pounds of
which were linked to the Applebee's chain - because of potential
E. coli contamination.
Addressing safety concerns such as those, certified-humane
standards require traceability and record keeping on the health and
well-being of each animal, Douglass said. Cattle whose meat bears
the Certified Humane label must lie horn on a farm that subscribes
tothe program's guidelines.
In addition to food safety concerns, animal welfare
issues also have become hot-button issues recently following a
chicken abuse that supplied at a poultry plan plied the KFC chain.
Workers at the plant were videotaped kicking, throwing and stomping
on live chickens.
The welfare of farm animals also has become an
issue for lawmakers. In August the California Legislature approved
a bill that would ban the in-state production and sale of foie
gras, no matter where it is produced, effective July 2012. Gov
Arnold Schwarzenegger has until the end of September to sign tile
bill.
Even before those developments, a May 2003 Gallup
poll indicated that 62 percent of Americans supported "passing
strict laws concerning the treatment of farm animals." The polling
sample size was 1,005 national adults age 18 and over, with a 3-percentage-point
margin of error.
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