Today, I'm writing with both outrage and determination. As revealed in The Los Angeles Times, Animal Outlook has uncovered something shocking that demands immediate action: Wild Fork Foods — a subsidiary of meat industry giant JBS — is openly selling foie gras products across all 11 of their Southern California locations in what we believe to be in direct violation of California law.
Our investigative team documented irrefutable evidence at every single Wild Fork Foods location from Valencia to Encinitas. The company is not only potentially breaking the law but profiting from one of the most notoriously cruel products in the food industry — and even marketing it as "humanely raised."
Let's be clear about what foie gras production entails: ducks and geese are force-fed through tubes violently inserted down their throats multiple times daily for weeks. Their livers swell up to ten times their normal size, causing hepatic lipidosis — a disease state, not a natural condition. These birds suffer torn esophagi, fungal infections, severe respiratory distress, and often die prematurely from organ rupture or failure.
Left:Â Foie gras being sold at Wild Fork Foods in Laguna Niguel, California
Right: Foie gras being advertised on an in store sign at Wild Fork Foods in Thousand Oaks, California
California banned the sale of foie gras products precisely because of this extreme cruelty, and the ban has survived various challenges in court. Yet Wild Fork Foods — backed by JBS, a corporation with troubling allegations of Amazon deforestation, paying off meat inspectors, and political corruption—appears to believe they're above the law.
When confronted, one Wild Fork employee even claimed the company had a "special permit" to sell foie gras in California. Our legal team has not found that any such permits exist.
Animal Outlook has sent formal complaints to state and local law enforcement. But Wild Fork Foods need to hear directly from consumers like you that profiting from torture won't be tolerated.
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Your voice matters. When we stand together against corporate cruelty, we create real change for animals. Every email, every share, every action brings us closer to a world where animals aren't treated as commodities but as the sentient beings they are.
Thank you for being part of our fearless community. Together, we're exposing truth and inspiring change — one investigation, one action, one victory at a time.
For the animals,
Ben Williamson
Executive Director
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