Professionals Against Foie Gras

LeBecFinPollutes.com

Boycott Le-Bec Fin Restaurant in Philadelphia!

Le Bec Fin Restaurant has a reputation of being one of the most ornate and pricey restaurants in Philadelphia, but there’s an extra cost to every meal at Le Bec Fin: environmental pollution.

Le-Bec Fin buys products from one of the most environmentally destructive farms in the country, an out-of-state company that was recently fined by the state of New York for 800 violations of environmental law, including the discharge of manure-related pollutants and the installation of an unauthorized manure cesspool. (1)

While the majority of top-rated Philadelphia restaurants have cut foie gras out of the menu over the past few years, Le-Bec Fin continues to serve its customers Hudson Valley Foie Gras from the self-titled farm in New York. According to Delaware Riverkeeper, a Pennsylvania non-profit that works to fight pollution and degradation of the Delaware and its tributaries, Hudson Valley Foie Gras has violated the federal Clean Water Act almost every day since 2001, and continues to do so to this day. (2) The Humane Society of the United States, which filed suit against HVFG for its pollution, reports that a cocktail of chemicals flows from the facility's discharge pipe directly into the Middle Mongaup River, a tributary which leads directly into the Delaware River. The pollution primarily stems from the factory farm's slaughter plant waste, which contains animal feces, blood and entrails. Hudson Valley Foie Gras also discharges massive amounts of manure onto nearby fields which then runs off into the river. (3)

And its not just the environment that is at risk. The presence of fecal coliform in Hudson Valley Foie Gras's discharge indicates that water may be contaminated with fecal matter and microorganisms that cause human disease, posing a threat to any who use the river for recreational activities. (4)

Le-Bec Fin is one of the only restaurants in Philadelphia that still serves its customers Hudson Valley Foie Gras. Of course, the menu at Le-Bec Fin doesn’t list that each serving of foie gras comes with a side dish of environmental destruction. Plus, foie gras itself is the most cruelly produced food product in the world. It has already been banned in California, Chicago, and 16 countries around the world, and has been condemned by the Humane Society of the United States, the PA-SPCA, Philadelphia Mayor’s Alliance for Animals, even the Pope! A Zogby poll conducted last year showed that 85% of PA residents want foie gras banned locally.

Philadelphia is filled with great restaurants, many of whom have made a conscious decision to not support Hudson Valley Foie Gras, and not serve foie gras at all. If you’re looking for a place to dine out, please BOYCOTT LE-BEC FIN RESTAURANT until they do what’s right for the environment, for our health, and for animals, and take foie gras off the menu. Please encourage your friends, family and co-workers to Boycott Le-Bec Fin also!

Eating a great meal shouldn’t make you feel dirty – so BOYCOTT Le-Bec Fin Restaurant! Check out the link above to find dozens of other top-rated Philadelphia restaurants that – unlike Le-Bec Fin – have a concern for our local environment, as well as our health.

(1) - http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/2007/030607FoieGrasFine.html
(2) - http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/newsresources/factsheet.asp?ID=42
(3) - http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/delaware_riverkeeper_foie_gras_pollution.html
(4) - http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/delaware_riverkeeper_foie_gras_pollution.html