LOS ANGELES, March 22 (UPI) -- Famed Los Angeles chef and restaurant owner Wolfgang Puck announced he is joining with the Humane Society of the United States to fight animal cruelty.
Puck said the new program will mean the end of foie gras -- a dish created from the livers of overfed ducks and geese -- at his 15 restaurants, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
The program also means all meat and eggs from shackled or caged animals would be banned from his restaurants.
However, Puck will continue using skate and Russian caviar and lobsters will still be cut in half while alive at his restaurants.
"We have to take a stand, to let people know what we believe," Puck said. "We have always looked for products from cage-free animals. Generally, this is for better-quality ingredients. Now we will police our purveyors to make certain that they give it to us."
The program follows three years of protests against Puck by animal-rights group Farm Sanctuary. Puck denied the protests had anything to do with the change in his menus.
