WASHINGTON, D.C. — Foie gras is on its way off restaurant menus in Washington, D.C., after voters approved Initiative 86 by a wide margin in Tuesday’s election, with about 73 percent backing the measure.
The initiative outlaws force-feeding birds to swell their livers and bars businesses from selling, distributing or bringing in fattened liver products for commercial use. It takes effect July 1, 2027, which leaves restaurants roughly eight months to keep the dish on the menu.
Each violation can bring a civil fine between $1,000 and $5,000, and repeat offenders could lose their business license or have it suspended.
The measure reached the ballot after Pro-Animal D.C., an arm of Pro-Animal Future, turned in petitions. That drive cleared the 23,940-signature bar easily, with 31,726 names certified as valid by the D.C. Board of Elections. Advocates had first tried to get the D.C. Council to act on its own.
The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington opposed the ban, arguing menu choices belong to businesses and diners. Putting it into force will also cost money: the District chief financial officer estimates the council must find more than $300,000 to carry it out, and court challenges from producers could slow it further.
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Filed under: Washington DC Politics News
