Foie gras disappears from Crai supermarkets too
Environment — di Simone Montuschi
The power of images and strength in numbers. Another major retail group has joined the #ViaDagliScaffali campaign launched by Essere Animali against foie gras.
Foie gras disappears from Crai supermarkets too
The power of images and strength in numbers. Another major retail group has joined the #ViaDagliScaffali campaign launched by Essere Animali against foie gras.
The power of images and strength in numbers. These two simple phrases explain why it is becoming increasingly difficult to find foie gras in Italian supermarkets — the 'fatty liver' of ducks and geese fattened by force-feeding, a cruel practice that causes severe suffering to animals.
The images are those from the investigation that Essere Animali carried out in France, where the majority of the foie gras sold worldwide comes from. But the most important contribution comes from the many people who take part in protests to push Italian supermarket chains to stop selling it.
Who no longer sells foie gras
Crai is the latest supermarket chain to have done so. The group's management sent us a statement of support for the campaign after just three days of intense protests, both on social media and outside offices and several supermarkets. Crai's commitment joins that of Pam Panorama, Eataly, Conad, Esselunga and Gruppo Selex. We also have confirmation that both Lidl Italia and MD Spa do not stock foie gras and have no intention of doing so.
We coordinated these mobilisations in part through the action centre, a new web platform created to allow anyone to help animals — even from home — by taking part in initiatives such as the "week of action" targeting supermarkets that sell foie gras. The approach proved a winning one: thanks to this initiative, more than 27,000 people signed the petition addressed to Crai within just a few hours.
Strength in numbers
The images from the investigation, also broadcast in a special news report, sparked outrage because they expose the brutality of foie gras production — something also confirmed by the European Union's Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare.
But the images could have remained "dead letters" without a pressure campaign capable of turning outrage into a collective desire to change things, or at least to try, even through the achievement of small victories.
There is, in this sense, a kind of bond linking our investigators — who are often engaged in tasks that are demanding both practically and emotionally — and the contribution of the many people who join the protests.
A subtle and invisible bond, yet a robust one all the same. Indeed, through the accumulation of small victories, through petitions and protests, foie gras has today become virtually impossible to find in Italian supermarkets. Since the campaign began, more than 10,000 points of sale have taken it #ViaDagliScaffali — off the shelves.
A strong signal against the tortures of force-feeding, and a step towards the next battles in defence of animals. There is still a great deal to do, but if there are many of us and we stand together, things can perhaps truly change.