News analysis: Is foie gras halal?

Sir Roger Moore claims his ad to boycott Fortnum & Mason until it stops selling foie gras has worked in Dubai – but does PETA’s claim that the production of this delicacy is not halal hold up?

James Bond star Sir Roger Moore made a plea to Emiratis to boycott the new Fortnum & Mason store in Dubai over its sale of foie gras.

The ad was released as part of a campaign by Persons for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against the high-end retailer for its sale of foie gras — the liver of geese or ducks that have been specially fed in a process PETA says causes “unbearable pain” for the birds.

A few days after the ad, which was released in Arabic, PETA said that Fortnum & Mason scrapped plans to sell the controversial item at its new Dubai outlet, and hoped this decision will pave the way for the removal of foie gras at Fortnum & Mason’s London Piccadilly store.

However, Middle East conglomerate Al Khayyat Investments (AKI), which is opening the store in Dubai, told Caterer Middle East in response to PETA’s claim: “Fortnum & Mason Dubai’s initial plans did not include foie gras.” The firm also declined to comment further.

The three-storey Dubai store — the brand’s first outside the UK — near the Burj Khalifa is due to open this month. AKI, which also has other brands under its belt including Burger Fuel, did not reveal the exact date of opening.

In a statement, Moore said: “Fortnum & Mason's decision not to sell foie gras in Dubai represents a significant step in getting this 'torture in a tin' out of all its stores. The company is tacitly acknowledging that this vile victual has no place in its future plans, and the next logical step would be for Fortnum to make this a companywide policy.”

PETA spokesperson Ben Williamson said to Caterer: “We're certain that Fortnum & Mason's decision not to sell foie gras at its new store in Dubai was influenced by Sir Roger Moore’s call for a boycott of the store. The move came just two short days after the release of a new People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals advertisement which features Sir Roger.

“The ad has attracted widespread media attention in the United Arab Emirates, and we are so grateful for the support of the many Emiratis who have added their condemnation to that of the tens of thousands of compassionate people from around the world, who have already written to the retailer over the last year to ask that foie gras be removed from the shelves of the London store.”

The issue raised by PETA was that the foie gras, sourced from several farms by the Sarlat Perigord cooperative, does not comply with halal standards as the birds are kept cruel conditions. According to the investigation, the birds kicked and struggled to lift their heads after a knife had been plunged into their throats. They had not been stunned first — contrary to French and British animal welfare laws.

This is said to not meet requirements of Islamic law, which states that animals must not be under stress or in discomfort before slaughter, and that they must not be diseased, mutilated or deformed.

Just at the end of 2013, Gordon Ramsay stopped purchasing his foie gras from French producers Ernest Soulard over allegations of cruelty at its farms.

When contacted over the halal aspect of foie gras, Dubai Municipality director of accreditation department Amina Mohammed said to Caterer: “The question is an important one. As a principle of halal pre-slaughtering requirements, the animal should not be under any stress and discomfort. Also, the animal must not be diseased. Hence this type of product is not considered as halal, based on this rule.”

She added: “In general, this type of meat, that is, fatty duck liver, is not within our food culture.”

Mohammed said with more details of the feeding process and production scale in question, the Municipality would discuss further with Islamic law scholars to get an official opinion from them.

Baker & Spice Dubai’s consultant Yael Mejia said: “I loved it but don't touch it any more, not for years.” She also said the item was never on the menu at Baker & Spice Dubai, which recently won an award for its ethical practices. She added: “I don't want to be anywhere near it.”

While veterinarians and avian experts have said there is no humane way to produce foie gras, Mejia said it can be done. She pointed out a 200-year-old producer in Spain, Sousa & Labourdette, which does not force feed its birds, instead allowing the birds to eat and forage as they wish during the winter, relying on their natural instincts.

It remains to be seen how the region’s restaurants respond to the statement from the Dubai Municipality about the delicacy, which, for now, seems definitive.