The production of foie gras through force feeding ducks and geese involves practices that cause significant physical suffering, making it one of the most ethically contested foods worldwide.
Force-fed ducks experience multiple welfare insults. Repeated tube insertion into the esophagus causes injury, inflammation, and fear. The massively enlarged liver compresses internal organs, making breathing difficult. Affected birds cannot walk normally due to their distended abdomens. The frequency of intervention - multiple times daily in the final weeks - means the birds have no sustained period of relief. Ducks and geese are capable of experiencing pain, fear, and distress, making these conditions ethically significant welfare violations.