The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals, sent cease and desist notices to California restaurants and retailers that appear to continue selling foie gras despite a state ban on the sale of this cruelly-produced “gourmet” delicacy made from the liver of a duck or goose. Over the past two months, the Animal Legal Defense Fund has received dozens of tips and reports from concerned citizens identifying California restaurants and retailers that appear to be flouting the foie gras law.

The law went into effect in 2012, and immediately faced legal challenges by restaurateurs and manufacturers. In 2015, the foie gras ban’s enforcement was halted by a federal court decision, but that decision was overturned in 2017 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In January 2019, the Supreme Court denied the foie gras industry’s latest petition attacking the constitutionality of the foie gras ban, once again prohibiting the cruel product from being sold in the Golden State.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund sent letters to the following restaurants, that, among others, it has reason to believe may be selling foie gras in violation of the ban:
• The Biltmore Hotel and The Bazaar in Los Angeles County
• Pabu, Lao Table, Absinthe, and Prospect in San Francisco County
• Bouchon Bistro in Napa County
• The Lakefront Restaurant in Mono County
• Crocodile French Cuisine and Acme Burger in Sonoma County
• The Catch in Orange County
• Mulvaney’s B&L in Sacramento County

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See Also: Where Does California’s Foie Gras Law Stand After Faulty Federal Ruling Overturned Ban? | Hearing in Lawsuit Compelling USDA to Pull Foie Gras From Shelves | ALDF Sues USDA to Label Foie Gras for What It Is—Diseased | Where to protest foie gras in the Bay Area | Court of Appeal Rejects Napa Restaurant’s Attempts to Flout Foie Gras Ban | Time to ban foie gras | Foie gras a faux pas

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