Voters in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, will decide similar ballot initiatives on November 3, 2026, concerning the force-feeding of birds and the sale of foie gras.
Foie gras means fatty liver in French. The USDA defines goose- and duck-liver foie gras as liver “obtained exclusively from specially fed and fattened geese and ducks.”
Pro-Animal D.C. and Pro-Animal Colorado, the campaigns supporting the two initiatives, are regional chapters of the same national organization, Pro-Animal Future. The organization states, "Through our ballot initiative and lobbying campaigns, we are pushing to end the industries that treat animals like objects, confining them in tiny, cramped cages, and depriving them of access to fresh air and sunlight."
As of 2026, one state — California — had a statewide prohibition on force-feeding birds and selling products resulting from force-feeding. Cities that had enacted foie gras bans included New York City, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Brookline, Massachusetts; and Portland, Oregon. None of these prohibitions came through ballot measures.
On Aug. 5, 2026, the D.C. Board of Elections verified signatures for Initiative 86, which would prohibit the force-feeding of birds to enlarge their livers and ban the commercial sale, distribution, and importation of foie gras and other fattened bird liver products in Washington, D.C.
On Dec. 23, 2025, the Denver Elections Division determined that the ballot initiative received enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot. The ballot initiative would prohibit the force-feeding of birds to enlarge their livers and ban the commercial sale, distribution, importation, transportation, and receipt of products derived from force-fed birds, including foie gras, in Denver.
Pro-Animal D.C., the campaign behind Initiative 86, said, "Force-feeding is a brutal practice that causes suffering to millions of birds, all for an expensive dish served at fancy restaurants. ... Foie gras, French for 'fatty liver,' is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers become diseased and enlarged up to 10 times their normal, healthy size. ... Initiative 86 addresses an urgent ethical concern without impacting the average consumer. By challenging a cruel practice that harms many while benefiting few, D.C. can take a principled stand without overreaching."
Bart Hutchins, chef and owner of Butterworth’s in Washington, D.C., published an op-ed in the Washington Post regarding Initiative 86. He said, "What foie gras farming does is amplify a natural biological process rather than invent a cruel one. Recorded instances of force-feeding date back thousands of years, to an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. ... Fewer serious people cooking foie means fewer people seriously caring about where it comes from. ... If it succeeds, we lose another reason to care at all."
Pro-Animal Colorado sponsored two ballot initiatives in 2024, both of which were rejected. Denver Initiated Ordinance 308, which would have prohibited the sale of certain animal fur products, received 42.4% of the vote. Denver Initiated Ordinance 309, which would have prohibited the construction, maintenance, or use of slaughterhouses within Denver, received 36.3% of the vote.
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