Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Supreme Court has backed California's law banning the sale of foie gras, which is produced from the livers of force-fed ducks.
- New York’s Hudson Valley Foie Gras, which is the largest producer in the U.S. of the food, had appealed lower court rulings supporting the ban and asked the high court to rule that California's law violated interstate commerce rules. Foie gras producers in Canada joined in on the suit. Briefs in support of the appeal were filed by 13 states.
- The California law was the first in the nation to ban a food solely because of the perceived cruelty used in its production.
Dive Insight:
The Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal of the foie gras ban would suggest that federal courts aren't buying the arguments of agricultural producers that their business needs supersede the rights of voters. Just days ago a federal court ruled against six states that sought to overturn California's ban on eggs from chickens who live in cramped conditions.