Fortnum & Mason

Fortnum & Mason is a luxury department store and food retailer located in London, United Kingdom, known as "the Queen's grocer." The establishment operates as a high-end retailer rather than a traditional restaurant, specializing in premium foods and gourmet products.34

The store has maintained a significant connection to foie gras as both a retailer and focal point of animal rights activism. Fortnum & Mason sourced foie gras from French suppliers and sold it at premium prices, with foie gras costing approximately £25 for two slices.34 The company defended its sales by citing consumer choice, stating there is a "large market" for foie gras and people "should have the freedom to choose whether" to purchase it.13

Fortnum & Mason became the target of PETA UK's longest and most intensive foie gras campaign, spanning 10 years from 2011 to 2021.34 The campaign employed multiple tactics including celebrity endorsements from Sir Roger Moore, who described foie gras as a luxury product, and staged protests outside the store.434 In 2012, PETA UK released investigative footage from French supplier farms that provided foie gras to Fortnum & Mason, generating significant media attention in British press.434

The retailer initially resisted pressure, with representatives claiming they regularly visited supplier farms and maintained "gold standards," though PETA disputed these assertions.34 The decade-long campaign ultimately succeeded in February 2021, when Fortnum & Mason announced it would ban foie gras sales, marking a significant victory for animal rights advocates.34

Fortnum & Mason, the luxury London department store known as "the Queen's grocer," operated as a high-end retailer of foie gras rather than a traditional restaurant, importing the product from French suppliers and selling it at approximately £25 for two slices 34. The company defended its foie gras sales by citing consumer choice, stating there was a "large market" for the product and that people "should have the freedom to choose" whether to purchase it 13.

From 2011 to 2021, Fortnum & Mason became the target of PETA UK's longest and most intensive foie gras campaign, which employed celebrity endorsements, protests, and investigative footage 34. Sir Roger Moore supported the campaign, famously quipping that "foie gras is sold as a luxury" 4. The pressure intensified in 2012 when PETA UK released undercover footage from French supplier farms that contradicted Fortnum & Mason's claims of maintaining "gold standards" at their source facilities 34.

The decade-long campaign culminated in February 2021 when Fortnum & Mason announced it would ban foie gras sales, marking a significant victory for animal rights activists 34. Animal Equality also participated in the campaign against the retailer, staging protests outside the store as part of broader efforts to outlaw foie gras 34. The case became emblematic of changing attitudes toward foie gras in upscale British retail, with the British press characterizing the conflict as "James Bond versus Fortnum & Mason stories" due to the high-profile nature of the luxury brand and celebrity involvement 34.

Based on available sources, specific information about chefs, owners, and key personnel at Fortnum & Mason is limited. The sources identify a managing director who was in position as of October 2012, when PETA UK published an open letter co-signed by nine other parties targeting this executive during their foie gras campaign 34. However, the individual's name is not provided in the available documentation.

Fortnum & Mason representatives have served as the primary spokespeople during foie gras controversies, defending the company's sourcing practices by claiming they "regularly visit their supplier farms and insisted on 'gold standards'" in response to PETA's 2012 undercover footage from French supplier farms 34. The company maintained its position that there is a "large market" for foie gras and that people "should have the freedom to choose whether" to purchase the product 13.

The luxury department store, often referred to as "the Queen's grocer," operated as a high-end retailer rather than a traditional restaurant, importing foie gras from French suppliers and selling it at approximately £25 for two slices 34. During PETA UK's decade-long campaign from 2011-2021, company representatives consistently defended their foie gras sales until the eventual ban in February 2021 34.

Fortnum & Mason, the luxury London department store known as "the Queen's grocer," became the target of a decade-long animal rights campaign over its foie gras sales. PETA UK conducted a sustained campaign against the retailer from 2011 to 2021, employing protests, celebrity endorsements, and undercover investigations to pressure the company to stop selling foie gras34.

The campaign gained significant momentum in 2012 when PETA UK released an investigation video showing footage from French supplier farms that provided foie gras to Fortnum & Mason434. The investigation targeted the company's claims of maintaining "gold standards" at supplier facilities, with PETA arguing the footage contradicted these assurances34. British media coverage frequently framed the conflict as "James Bond versus Fortnum & Mason stories," generating substantial publicity for the campaign34.

Celebrity support played a crucial role in the campaign's visibility. Sir Roger Moore publicly supported PETA UK's efforts, famously stating that "foie gras is sold as a luxury" while advocating for the store to drop the product4. In October 2012, PETA UK published an open letter to Fortnum & Mason's managing director co-signed by nine other prominent figures34.

Animal Equality also staged protests outside Fortnum & Mason as part of broader campaigns to outlaw foie gras sales34. Throughout the campaign, Fortrum & Mason defended its position by arguing there was a "large market" for foie gras and that people "should have the freedom to choose whether" to purchase it13.

The sustained pressure campaign ultimately succeeded in February 2021, when Fortnum & Mason announced it would ban foie gras sales, ending the decade-long controversy34. PETA UK celebrated this as a major victory, documenting the campaign's milestones and celebrity support in subsequent publications34.