Politically correct food goes onto the menu in Britain

From foie gras produced without making birds suffer to "sustainable" fish, British retailers and restaurants are fast embracing politically correct food, helped by celebrity-fuelled pressure.

Faux (false) gras is the ethical answer to the foodstuff, which has been the bane of campaigners for decades for the way it's produced: force-feeding ducks or geese to create engorged livers that yield the creamy pate.

Waitrose, House of Fraser and Tesco are among a growing number of major British retailers who are now refusing to stock real foie gras after protest campaigns.

Even Selfridges, a top London attractions for discerning shoppers, in November took foie gras off its shelves after a protest fronted by former James Bond actor Roger Moore. "It's torture in a tin," said Moore, who appeared on pre-Christmas posters urging Selfridges to halt its sale, stating: "Force-feeding birds is not Yule, it's cruel."

The foie gras ban has even gained the royal seal of approval after Prince Charles ordered it off menus for royal functions.

Supermarket chain Waitrose developed the faux gras version – produced without force-feeding the birds – and calls it an "ethical alternative to traditional foie gras". Darker in colour than the real thing, faux gras is about 50 per cent liver from free-range poultry blended with goose or duck fat.

Two years after its launch, Waitrose customers appear to be increasingly happy to substitute faux gras for the real thing at Christmas and New Year. "Faux gras is still one of our most popular festive foods," said a Waitrose spokeswoman. She said sales of the new product surged almost 60 per cent in 2009.

Such is the popularity of the new, more "ethical" version of the product that lawmakers have backed a motion calling for restaurants to adopt the new version and ditch the real foie gras.

"It is only a matter of time before foie gras is relegated to the history books where it belongs," said Sam Glover of lobby group The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

While the day that five-star establishments abandon such foods seems some way off, restaurants in England do seem to be turning towards "green" alternatives.

Acorn House, in the King's Cross district of London, claims to be the "first truly eco-friendly" restaurant in the capital. The duck it serves comes from birds raised in a "positive" way, without cages and without antibiotics in their food; its deliveries are made in vehicles using biofuel, 80 per cent of its waste is recycled; and its roof is a herb garden. "Acorn House is set to transform the way people eat out," is the bold claim of its co-founder Arthus Potts.

Other restaurants are also trying to adopt a more ethical approach to their food.

French celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, holder of two Michelin stars at his Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons restaurant near Oxford, has embraced a campaign to use fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

This label guarantees that the fish has been obtained from sustainable stocks.

"By supporting MSC, I am ensuring that, as a chef, I am helping to ensure that fish stocks will be replenished for generations to come," said Blanc, a well-known face in his adopted country thanks to regular TV appearances.

There are 14 MSC-certified restaurants in Britain and although the number remains relatively low, the non-profit organisation argues it is pressuring other restaurants to change their ways.

Protestors' main target is Nobu, the global chain of chic Japanese restaurants. Its Michelin-starred London branch refuses to remove bluefin tuna, an endangered species, from its menu.

But after a petition signed by celebrities Elle Macpherson and Sienna Miller it responded by adding an asterisk next to the dish on its menu, directing diners to a footnote: "Bluefin tuna is an environmentally threatened species. Please ask your server for an alternative."

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