One of the world’s largest retailers, Amazon.com Inc., has agreed to pay $100,000 in penalties and costs after a lawsuit over its sale of foie gras in California. As part of the settlement, Amazon has also agreed to discontinue the sale of foie gras in the state.





In 2004, California passed a law banning the production and sale of foie gras throughout the state. Foie gras is the product of the abusive practice of force-feeding ducks and geese. Workers shove a metal pipe down their throats and force them to ingest more food than they would naturally eat. The animals undergo this torment two or three times a day. The birds’ livers become diseased, swelling up to 10 times their normal size, resulting in terrible emotional and physical suffering for these animals. “Foie gras” is French for “fatty liver.”





Most of the animals abused for foie gras have difficulty walking and breathing normally. Many suffer ruptured organs and die. The birds are typically kept in small, filthy cages for most of their lives, unable to walk or spread their wings. They become so distressed that they sometimes tear out their own feathers or cannibalize one another.





A 2013 Mercy For Animals undercover investigation at the country’s largest foie gras producer exposed workers violently grabbing ducks by their wings or necks, ramming a metal pipe down their throats, and pumping enormous amounts of food into their stomachs.





See for yourself.













It’s high time for Amazon to follow the lead of Postmates and ban foie gras completely. The largest online retailer in the world has no business making money off such egregious animal cruelty.





All of us can take a stand for animals exploited by the meat, dairy, and egg industries by choosing to eat delicious and humane plant-based alternatives. With millions of people around the globe going vegan, there has never been a better time to make the switch. Visit ChooseVeg.com to learn more, and make sure to check out our Pinterest page for endless mouthwatering inspiration