Foie gras production through forced feeding of geese and ducks represents one of the most controversial welfare practices in food production globally.
Force-feeding causes acute distress from esophageal tube insertion multiple times daily. The artificially enlarged liver causes hepatic steatosis - fatty liver disease - that compromises normal metabolism and causes respiratory difficulty from abdominal compression. Birds in the final stages of gavage cannot walk normally due to abdominal distension and spend increasing time on their chests. The brief confinement during feeding and the metabolic stress of extreme liver enlargement cause measurable physiological stress indicators. Despite producer claims that waterfowl have evolved capacity for natural gorging, the scale and frequency of forced feeding in production systems far exceeds any natural gorging behavior and causes demonstrable harm.