More Than Liver

We all know that foie gras ducks are raised specifically for their livers. Many people don't know, however, that absolutely no part of a Hudson Valley Foie Gras duck is wasted. Some animal rights activists would have the public believe that foie gras production is wasteful, leaving most of the duck unused. Nearly every part of the duck is used, from the meat to the manure, the feathers to the fat - Hudson Valley Foie Gras finds a way to utilize just about everything. Here's how:

First, the meat of the duck is most often sold in the same restaurants selling foie gras.

Meat is even scraped from the bones and the trimmings are used to make sausage.

Bones are used to make soup stock and broth.

Fat is collected, rendered, and packaged. It is used as cooking oil.

Tongues and testicles are sold in the Chinese market.

Feathers are sent to a processing plant where they are made into down for clothing and bedding.

Female ducks, not raised for foie gras, are shipped to another country where they are raised for meat.

Even the nutrient-rich manure is brought to local farmers where it is used as an organic fertilizer.