What can be done about a new state law that prohibits a deluxe, albeit controversial, ingredient? That was the question that sparked a gathering of chefs and farmers last week in San Francisco.

The ingredient is foie gras, and the law - SB1520, banning the force-feeding of ducks and geese, and thereby essentially forbidding the production and sale of foie gras in California - takes effect in July. It was passed in 2004, but with an eight-year lead time.

Foie gras, which dates to ancient Egypt, is the fattened liver of a duck or goose. Considered a delicacy in many cultures, most notably France, where it is a mainstay of traditional cuisine, foie gras is produced by "speed feeding" the animal via a special tube.

Explaining the issues

Proponents of the ban say this amounts to animal cruelty, but foie gras advocates are quick to point out the danger in anthropomorphizing the birds. Their liver is designed to naturally fatten in nature for migration, they say, and that unlike humans, the esophagus of water fowl is insensitive and has no gag reflex - hence the reason ducks can eat fish whole. Both sides of the issue cite studies supporting their respective causes.

One possible course of action the group discussed last week is challenging the law as a violation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That was considered in Chicago, when a similar ban was passed - and eventually repealed - several years ago.

"By banning foie gras in California ... the state abdicated any opportunity to influence the industry," said Mark Pastore, owner of Incanto in San Francisco. Pastore has written extensively on the foie gras issue (see his essay, "Shock and Foie" on Incanto's website, incanto.biz), and laments the absolutism of SB1520.

"There is political opportunity. California could have worked to set a global standard on how foie gras is produced," he said.

Another point of contention, say the chefs: The ban is worded in such a way that it can apply to all birds, and its definition of force-feeding is simply "a process that causes the bird to consume more food than a typical bird of the same species would consume voluntarily while foraging."

That language is problematic in itself, says Daniel Scherotter, chef-owner of Palio d'Asti in San Francisco and board member of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which opposes the ban.

"Every animal that we eat outside of things we shoot is force-fed by that definition," he said, pointing to wild turkeys compared with the broad-breasted Thanksgiving turkeys that Americans will soon consume en masse. SB1520 is written in a way to set a precedent for other meat industries, he said.

Scherotter also contrasted the law with the shark fin ban signed into law earlier this month.

"This is not like the shark fin issue. With foie gras, you can still use the whole animal, and we're not talking about endangered species," he said.

However, for the chefs, producers and other opponents of the ban, the battle will be an uphill one. Most acknowledge that it's not a sympathetic cause to the average Californian, given foie gras' fine dining nature and its force-feeding stigma.

Local concerns

Yet in the Bay Area chef community, ripples are still being felt from the threats and vandalism directed toward chef Laurent Manrique's Sonoma Saveurs foie gras retail operation in 2003. Compared with other agricultural industries, the American foie gras industry is minuscule, consisting of a handful of small-scale artisan farms. Only one, the family-run Sonoma Foie Gras, is located in California.

Money, then, is something the foie gras supporters don't have, and any worthwhile lawsuit would likely prove to be very expensive. At this point, the ban opposition is relying on pro-bono lawyers, online petitions (artisanfarmers.org), and increased education among the dining public. They are also hoping to gain the support of the California Restaurant Association.

Raising awareness

Many restaurants are planning foie gras specials before the law takes effect as a protest and to raise awareness. In Los Angeles earlier this month, several high-profile chefs joined forces for a foie gras dinner that sold out in minutes. In San Francisco, Lafitte recently held an all foie gras dinner of its own, to much success; another is planned for Nov. 26.

"There's a demand for it. If we, as restaurateurs, couldn't sell it, this would be a nonissue. It's not like people are fighting for kombucha," said Lafitte chef-owner Russell Jackson.

Above all, it's about choice, he said.

"This is something that people love. We want the option. Here in San Francisco, we're a city of believers in choice. Why would we want to go down that other path?"

And it's safe to say that California can expect a lot more discussion about foie gras as July draws near.

Chronicle staff writer Paolo Lucchesi can be reached at plucchesi@sfchronicle.com. Food in the News is an ongoing series of stories about issues surrounding our food supply.