Is Foie Gras a disease?

With the recent California ban on Foie Gras (like the city of Chicago a while ago), it might be worth correcting some misleading accusations which are erroneously spread by uninformed detractors.

Sometimes it is told that fattened ducks and geese suffer from a serious condition, that their liver is that of a sick animal and is akin to a cirrhosis.

Migrating birds which include ducks and geese have this ability to fatten themselves so as to store a lot energy before their migration. Egyptians in their time had already noticed that self-fattened bird livers were much tastier. From this knowledge, Romans had institutionalized the force-feeding of geese with figs to get fat livers outside of migration periods.

Now, one could argue that force-feeding is unkind to animals. But is that so much worse than slaughtering them? Is that so much meaner than to raise turkeys in small cages? or to lock pets in an apartment? That PETA fight against cruelty towards animals why not, but let consumers decide what they want to eat. It can be noticed that livers from animals which were fed too quickly are of bad quality as they do not hold the cooking too well; Those livers are difficult to sear or to cook in a terrine as the fat melts too quickly. So consumers can recognize the difference and select providers who take time to fatten their birds properly.