Voters in Washington, D.C., and Denver passed prohibitions on force-feeding birds and selling foie gras by wide margins on Election Day.
On Election Day, voters in two very different cities sent the same message. In Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, residents went to the polls and approved ballot measures prohibiting the force-feeding of birds and the sale of foie gras. Neither result was close.
In D.C., Initiative 86, the Prohibiting the Force-Feeding of Birds Act of 2026, passed with roughly 73% of the vote and carried every precinct counted. In Denver, Initiated Ordinance 311 passed with about 66%. Both prohibitions are set to take effect on July 1, 2027.
These were not quiet wins. They came after months of signature gathering, door knocking, and public debate, and in the face of loud opposition from celebrity chefs and fine-dining restaurants. Voters heard both sides. Then they decided, by wide margins, that no dish is worth what this one costs the animals.
What Foie Gras Actually Is
Foie gras means “fatty liver.” It is made by force-feeding ducks or geese, usually two or three times a day in the final weeks of their lives. A metal or plastic tube is pushed down the bird's throat, and a large volume of feed is pumped directly into the esophagus. The goal is to make the liver swell to many times its natural size.
The result is a diseased organ. Birds subjected to this process can struggle to breathe, walk, or stand. Many are kept in small cages or crowded pens where they cannot carry out natural behaviors like swimming, foraging, or preening. It is one of the clearest examples of blatant animal cruelty to produce a “luxury” product.
That is why the issue resonates with people once they learn how foie gras is made. Most people have never eaten it. Many have never heard of it, but when they find out what happens to the birds, the answer is usually simple.
What the New Laws Do
Washington, D.C.: Initiative 86 prohibits force-feeding birds to enlarge their livers and prohibits the commercial sale and distribution of foie gras and other products from force-fed birds in the District. Restaurants and retailers that violate the law face fines of $1,000 to $5,000 per violation, and repeat violations can lead to suspension or revocation of a business license. The campaign submitted more than 45,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot, more signatures from D.C. residents than any other initiative in the city.
Denver: Ordinance 311 prohibits force-feeding birds in the city and prohibits the sale of products made through the practice, including foie gras. About 15 local restaurants currently serve it and will need to take it off their menus. The win comes two years after Denver voters rejected broader measures on fur sales and slaughterhouses, a reminder that campaigns build on each other and that persistence pays off.
Neither city has foie gras farms. But both laws prevent such operations from ever opening, and both close local markets to a product made elsewhere through cruelty.
Thank you, Pro-Animal Future
These victories belong to the voters, and to the advocates who put the question in front of them. Pro-Animal Future and its local campaigns, Pro-Animal DC and Pro-Animal Colorado, led both efforts from the first petition to the final vote count.
That work was grassroots from start to finish. In Denver alone, more than 80 volunteers put in 2,000 hours collecting signatures. In D.C., the campaign built the largest signature drive behind any initiative in the city. Thank you to Pro-Animal Future, its team, and every volunteer who knocked on a door, held a clipboard, or talked with a neighbor about what happens to ducks and geese. Two cities are kinder to animals because of you.
Part of a Growing Movement
D.C. and Denver now join a growing list of places that refuse to sell foie gras. California has prohibited its sale since 2012, and cities including Pittsburgh and Portland have taken similar steps. New York City passed its own prohibition on the sale of foie gras in 2019, though that law remains tied up in a legal fight. Around the world, countries including the United Kingdom and Germany prohibit force-feeding or foie gras production.
The direction is clear. Every new prohibition shrinks the market for force-fed products and makes the practice harder to defend.
Why This Matters Beyond One Dish
Critics argue that foie gras is too niche to matter. They are missing the point. Voters in D.C. and Denver were not only deciding about a single menu item. They were deciding what kind of treatment of animals their communities will accept.
Force-feeding is an extremely cruel practice, but it exists on the same spectrum as the cages, crates, and crowded sheds that define industrial animal agriculture across the US. The same logic that drives it, getting the most product out of an animal's body at the lowest cost, regardless of what the animal experiences, shapes how billions of chickens, pigs and cows are raised every year.
When voters reject force-feeding, they are affirming something bigger: animals are sentient beings who feel pain and fear, and their suffering matters. That principle does not stop at ducks and geese.
What Comes Next
Both laws still have hurdles ahead. D.C. legislation goes through a congressional review period before it takes effect, and the D.C. law could face legal challenges from the foie gras industry similar to the ongoing New York lawsuit. Enforcement will also take real commitment from local agencies.
The voters have done their part. Now city leaders need to make sure these laws are implemented and enforced as written.
For everyone else, there is plenty to do right now:
- Skip foie gras and let restaurants know why you won't order it.
- Ask your local representatives whether your city or state could pass a similar prohibition.
- Choose more plant-based meals. The most powerful way to challenge a food system built on animal suffering is to eat in a way that doesn't depend on it.
Two cities just proved that when people see how animals are treated, they vote for change. The next city could be yours.