Nestle touts vegan foie gras

Two-day-old goslings are seen before being fed with a dose of serum containing a bacteria to stimulate fat growth in the liver to produce a “naturally fatty” foie gras, in Bazillac, France. Foie gras has long been singled out by campaigners against cruelty to animals, and its production is banned in many countries. (Reuters File Photo)

The Swiss food giant Nestle is starting to sell vegan foie gras in Switzerland and Spain to ease the conscience of gourmands worried about animal welfare.

Traditionally, the pâté is made by force-feeding ducks or geese through a tube to make their livers fatty. The animals can also be tricked into fattening themselves up voluntarily, but they still need to be obese for their livers to make the rich and greasy paste.