The foie gras market - Italy (2023)

1.1 Definition and presentation

Foie gras is a delicacy made from the fatty liver of duck or goose. However, several nations, including Italy, ban its production. Animals are fed "gavage" to obtain foie gras, which is a tube that continuously feeds the animal with fatty meals to expand the size of the liver. An estimated 80% of the world's production takes place in France alone, producing more than 20 thousand tons each year. Because it involves significant pain in animals, foie gras is one of the most contested animal meals in the world. Animal welfare organizations around the world have long campaigned to stop the production of foie gras; in Italy, the Stop foie gras campaign by "Essere Animali" helped ban its sale in supermarkets.

Despite recent restrictions on production and distribution in some countries (including New York and California), the foie gras market was valued at $1168.7 million in 2020 and is expected to reach $1198.8 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 1.8% from 2021 to 2028, according to the latest market research.

In Italy, as mentioned above, production but not import and trade is banned, but with several restrictions to reduce its consumption; today in Italy foie gras is not available in any supermarket but can still be purchased in online stores of typical products and freely tasted in restaurants. it is a food that in Italy costs approximately 80-100 euros per kilo, a price marked by the difficulties of consumption and not affordable for all citizens.

After the official ban on foie gras issued in New York, which came into effect in 2022, the production of foie gras certainly needs more ethical production.

Here comes from Toulouse, a study by researchers who would produce foie gras using bacteria to enlarge the liver of geese, thus avoiding forced fattening. The process is very expensive and would lead to a significant increase in production costs, but it would avoid practices banned in more globalized countries.