CHICAGO -- If you like foie gras and are heading to the Windy City, don't get your tastebuds set for the pricey delicacy.
Chicago has become the first city in the nation to place a legal ban on the sale of the goose or duck liver product opponents claim is made from maltreated fowl.
The state of California already had a foie gras ban pending, but it won't become effective until 2012. Bans are under discussion in other states, such as New Jersey and Hawaii, and come up periodically in New York and elsewhere.
The artificial fattening process used to produce the duck or goose liver has the birds being force-fed starting at the age of 12 weeks through metal tubes pushed down their throats. After two to four weeks of feeding, when their livers are up to 10 times normal size, they're slaughtered.
