#1 Restaurant in San Diego pulls foie gras

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 14, 2005

CONTACT:
Bryan Pease / APRL (619) 269-6393
Dr. Elliot Katz, DVM / IDA (415) 388-9641 x225


SAN DIEGO
­Local animal protection advocates will present Pamplemousse Grille owner Jeff Strauss with a certificate of appreciation today for his compassionate Valentine’s Day decision to stop selling “foie gras”­-liver form force fed ducks. The restaurant is rated #1 for food in San Diego according to a 2004 Zagat survey.

Strauss joins compassionate chefs such as the world famous Charlie Trotter in eschewing cruelty that has been banned in 15 countries. The ducks’ livers are bloated up to 10 times their normal size in foie gras production, and many die during the process. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill last year that will ban not only the production of “foie gras” in California, but also its sale. However, the bill will not take effect for seven years­-too long to wait, say the activists.

Many restaurants around the country have stopped selling the force fed duck liver recently due to disruptive protests, but the activists say Strauss’s decision was motivated simply by compassion. Strauss donated his services to the ASPCA last year for their annual banquet and a 20 person meal for their fundraiser auction. He also donated a 20 person meal to an auction for abused children recently and then spontaneously donated several more of the same at the event.

“Jeff Strauss is a truly compassionate individual who is setting a powerful example for other restaurants in San Diego and the rest of the country that animals should not be tortured for haute cuisine, and that seven years is too long to wait to stop this despicable cruelty,” states Bryan Pease of the Animal Protection & Rescue League. “We and our friends at In Defense of Animals are honored to be able to present him with a certificate of our appreciation.”

Activists from APRL and IDA have been protesting outside of other restaurants to which they sent information on the cruelty involved in “foie gras” production yet continue to sell the controversial duck dish. To get their point across, they play video footage on a battery powered TV and hold poster sized images from APRL’s industry-wide animal cruelty investigation of U.S. “foie gras” producers. Broadcast quality footage of the investigation is available on request.