Foie gras is allowed in most US states although some states such as California ban foie gras and the production of foie gras.
New York City enacted a ban on the sale of foie gras from force fed birds in 2019 although in 2022 it was overturned.
California law also prohibits the force feeding of birds to enlarge their livers as well as the sale of products that result from the process of force feeding and the ban was and has been upheld by the courts, including the U.S. Supreme court.
And some other states as well as cities can have their own regulations or bans on foie gras production or the same and others don't.
There's also no federal law banning foie gras production or sale of foie gras in the United States.
The reason why foie gras is so expensive is because the production of foie gras requires intensive labor as well as the cost of the specialized feed and also because of the limited supply of farms which produces foie gras.
Foie gras production involves the force feeding of ducks and geese using feeding tubes which is incredibly cruel to the animals and is controversial so not everyone wants to produce the foie gras.
The forced feeding of the ducks and geese for making foie gras is used to enlarge the ducks and geese livers, which also adds to the cost of production and results in ethical concerns as well as outright bans of foie gras in some regions.
The controversy with foie gras that foie gras production involves cruel treatment, animal suffering, health concerns in humans and also ethical issues.
Creating foie gras involves force feeding of ducks as well as geese to enlarge their livers.
These practices are strongly condemned by animal rights and animal welfare groups as they cite inhumane treatment and cruel conditions for the ducks and geese.
Also people who support production of foie gras often also emphasize it's culinary value as well as cultural significance as a delicacy.
Although the primary concern over foie gras production is the force feeding or gavage process of the ducks and geese, where tubes are actually inserted into the ducks and geese throats in order to pump large amounts of food into he ducks and geese stomachs.
As a result of this force feeding of the ducks and geese it can result in a range of health issues for the ducks and geese, including damage to the liver, impaired mobility as well as increased susceptibility to disease.
Some people also argue that the process causes significant pain as well as distress to the ducks and geese, who are also often confined and also subjected to these types of unnatural feeding practices.
And studies also suggest that human consumption of foie gras can even potentially result in health problems in humans like secondary amyloidosis.
And many people also find that practice of force feeding of the ducks and geese inherently unethical, regardless of whether it can be proven or not to cause any significant harm to the ducks and geese.