No more foie gras on Puck's new menu

LOS ANGELES — As part of a new initiative to fight animal cruelty, chef Wolfgang Puck said Thursday he will no longer serve foie gras, the fatty liver produced by overfeeding ducks and geese.

His 14 fine-dining restaurants, more than 80 fast-casual eateries and 43 catering services will use only eggs from hens that have lived cage-free; veal from free-roaming calves; and lobsters that have been removed from their ocean traps quickly to avoid crowding.

Puck said guests at his restaurants want to know their food is made with fresh, organic ingredients and that the animals were treated well.

"We want a better standard for living creatures. It's as simple as that," Puck said.

The move came after three years of protests against Puck's restaurants by Farm Sanctuary, an animal-rights group.

Puck worked with the Humane Society of the United States on the new initiative. He said he wasn't responding to pressure from animal-welfare advocates but instead believes the best-tasting food comes from animals that have been treated humanely.

"We decided about three months ago to be really much more socially responsible," he said. "We feel the quality of the food is better and our conscience feels better."

Chicken and turkey meat served at Puck's restaurants will come from farms that comply with progressive animal-welfare standards, and menus will feature more vegetarian selections, he said.

The restaurants also will serve only certified sustainable seafood.

Puck's chefs will continue to kill live lobsters by cutting them in half rather than by using stun guns.

And stingraylike skate and Russian caviar, on an "avoid" list compiled by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, remain on his menus.

His restaurants include Spago and Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express. The latter has a location at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.