DENVER–Voters in Denver are deciding whether to pass a measure backed by animal rights activists that would ban the sale of the French delicacy foie gras in the city’s restaurants.
Initiated Ordinance 311 asks voters whether the city should ban the sale of foie gras, as well as the process for making it. Foie gras is made through a process called gavage, which tube-feeds ducks and geese to fatten their livers.
The practice, which dates back to ancient Egypt, has long been a target of animal rights groups. In Denver, the campaign to pass the ordinance is backed by Pro-Animal Future and its Colorado chapter, the same groups that backed failed Denver measures to ban the sale of fur products and ban slaughterhouses in 2024.
The Yes on 311! Campaign website touts endorsements from Denver Democrats, the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter, and “over 135 local restaurants, vets, rescues, and non-profits.”
“Ducks and geese are still being force-fed until their livers become diseased, all for an expensive dish served at fancy restaurants,” the campaign website says. “It’s time to end this inhumane practice.”
The campaign has been sending out text messages to residents including an image of a bird being force-fed with a metal tube, along with a fatty liver and a “healthy duck liver.”
But the campaign opposing the measure, No on 311, which is backed by restaurant groups, says there are not currently any foie gras producers within the city. The campaign says on its website that the measure seeks to strip “creative freedom” away from chefs and is an attack on consumer choice.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Restaurant Association told Complete Colorado that the organization supports its Mile High Chapter’s opposition to the measure. CRA provided a statement from the chapter:
“Denver’s restaurants are more than just places to eat: They are independent businesses, major employers, and an essential part of our city’s identity. 69% of Colorado restaurants are independently owned and operated, and government should not dictate their menus or ban chefs from using products without a clear human-health justification. Initiated Ordinance 311 limits culinary creativity, and arbitrary product bans like this ordinance threaten consumer choice, restrict small businesses, and create a slippery slope for future government mandates. Denver should support its restaurants and trust its chefs and consumers, not special interest groups, to make these decisions. The Colorado Restaurant Association Mile High Chapter urges Denver voters to vote no on Initiated Ordinance 311.”
According to the city’s most recent campaign finance records, the No on 311 campaign has received $161,750 in contributions and has $113,442 in expenditures. Top donors include the Western Stock Show Association ($25,000) and the Hospitality Industry PAC ($20,000). CRA’s Mile High Chapter has contributed $10,000.
Over $259,000 has been contributed in support of the ban, with $256,612 in total expenditures. Of total contributions in favor of the measure, Pro-Animal Colorado has received $190,999, with $189,364 in expenditures. The organization’s top donor is the Karuna Foundation, which funds vegan activism, and has contributed $179,357.
In 2024, over 57% of Denver voters rejected the fur ban measure, and almost 64% of voters said no to the slaughterhouse ban.
As Complete Colorado previously reported, a former city council member filed a campaign finance complaint against Pro-Animal Future and Pro-Animal Denver, alleging the groups of hiding donors and failing to fully disclose their expenses.
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