The New York Times : Is Luxury Cruel? The Foie Gras Divide

“…The California law fits into a growing international consensus concerning force-feeding for foie gras, which Israel, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Austria, Germany and other countries have passed laws to ban. It also reflects a broad movement, which has been gaining steam in the United States, to more humane approaches to animal husbandry. “A certain segment of the population is beginning to consume with conscience,” said Paul Waldau, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University. “Like the Europeans, Americans are beginning to challenge extremely inhumane food production systems.”

Last year, for instance, a nonprofit group called Humane Farm Animal Care, financed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Humane Society of the United States and other organizations, started a certification program for humane food producers. The group, based in Herndon, Va., recruits scientists to evaluate farms and slaughterhouses.

“We all die in the end, but we want the animals to be killed humanely,” said Adele Douglass, the group’s executive director. Among the 16 producers earning the “certified humane” seal so far are Meyer Natural Angus Beef, DuBreton Natural Pork and Murray’s Chicken. “