A controversial ban on foie gras remains in effect in California today after an appeals court upheld a lower-court's decision not to block the law.
The appeal, led by Hudson Valley Foie Gras LLC and an association of Canadian foie gras producers who import their products to the U.S., charged that the ban interfered with interstate and foreign commerce and that it is too vague. A three-judge panel disagreed and sent the case back to a federal judge in L.A., BloombergBusinessweek reported.
However, the ban remains largely unenforced in California. Many restaurants take advantage of loopholes in the law, which allows an eatery to serve foie gras so long as it doesn't charge a price for it.
Frustrated animal advocacy groups like PETA have since taken to targeting individual restaurants and chefs they know to serve foie gras and threatening legal action.