In the heart of Paris, chef Fabien Borgel is quietly revolutionizing French gastronomy with his sunflower seed-based "faux gras", a plant-based answer to the ethical concerns surrounding traditional foie gras.
Borgel's innovative recipe combines sunflower seeds, coconut oil and turmeric to recreate the rich texture of the classic delicacy.
"My foie gras is made of plant-based, gluten-free and animal-cruelty-free (ingredients)," said Borgel.
Customers have responded with great enthusiasm.
"The customer was happy to see something new because most of them don't eat foie gras anymore. Then they see in my carte the 'faux gras', and they want to try that," Borgel noted, reflecting shifting attitudes in the dish's homeland.
The creation reflects growing ethical consciousness among French diners, even in the homeland of the controversial dish made by force-feeding ducks and geese.
While the Paris Agricultural Show in March prominently featured traditional foie gras varieties, several French cities including Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Nantes have removed it from official menus due to animal welfare concerns.
Foie gras producers maintain the practice is humane when performed properly. The president of the Foie Gras Producers Committee argues the force-feeding process lasts only four minutes in a duck's life and causes no harm if done correctly.
Yet the culinary landscape is shifting. Borgel may be among the first chefs to offer a vegan alternative, but his innovation points to broader changes in consumer preferences and ethical dining trends.
The evolution comes as UK's Labor Party recently stepped back from its pledge to ban foie gras imports, highlighting the ongoing global debate about balancing culinary heritage with animal welfare concerns.
From Parisian kitchens to municipal government buildings, France's relationship with its iconic delicacy continues to evolve, with plant-based innovations leading the way toward more ethical gastronomy.
French chef reinvents "foie gras" as ethical dining gains ground
French chef reinvents "foie gras" as ethical dining gains ground
Li Yuhua, a farmer-turned forest ranger from a mountainous village in Dulongjiang Town, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has spent nine years protecting the forests in her hometown while helping local people increasing their incomes.
Li's family was once a registered impoverished household, relying mainly on corn farming for living. Things began to change for her family in 2016 when China launched a policy allowing registered impoverished population to work as ecological forest rangers, and Li became one of the first ecological forest rangers in the town.
"When I first began to work as a forest ranger, it was hard for me even to climb mountains, let alone climb rocks and cross rivers. But I told myself that since the country gave me this opportunity, I must do it well. I worked hard to improve my physical fitness and learn new skills, always actively taking the missions of patrolling mountains," said Li.
As Li often wears a colorful, vibrantly striped "Dulong blanket," a traditional clothing of the Dulong ethnic group, the villagers call her the "rainbow ranger."
"I think the name 'Rainbow Ranger' is beautiful. It makes me feel like a rainbow for us women of Dulong ethnic group guarding our homeland," Li said.
Dulong is a mountain-dwelling ethnic group in southwest China. It is one of the least populous of China's 56 ethnic groups, and the people were known for "direct transition" from primitive life to the modern socialist society at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Most Dulong people live in Dulongjiang Town, where an inhospitable mountainous terrain used to thwart the place's development for decades. The town remained to be one of the poorest areas in Yunnan Province and even in the entire country. Thanks to government inputs and the development of industries with local features, the Dulong people have been experiencing remarkable life changes. In 2018, the Dulong ethnic group shook off poverty as a whole.
Beyond safeguarding forests, Li took the lead in developing non-timber forest-based economy in the town, guiding local residents to grow plants like Chinese black cardamom and wild-simulated lingzhi mushrooms as well as raising cattle and bees.
In 2025, the total output value of the town's non-timber forest-based economy reached nearly 30 million yuan (around 4.3 million U.S. dollars), with the annual average income of 43 households increasing by more than 20,000 yuan (around 2,900 U.S. dollars) each.
Li also established a cooperative for Dulong blanket making, attracting more than 170 women to learn traditional weaving techniques. They have developed 12 types of cultural and creative products, including shawls and scarves, and sold them worldwide through livestreaming, generating wealth for themselves.
"In the past, we only wove blankets for our own use. Now she teaches us to make the cultural and creative products and sell them. Last year, I earned more than 4,000 yuan (around 580 U.S. dollars) from weaving. I spent the money on my children's school fees and new appliances for my house," said Mu Jianying, member of the cooperative.
Li's dedication to both forestry and rural revitalization has earned her widespread recognition. In 2024, she was honored as model of ethnic solidarity and progress and received the title certificate from President Xi Jinping. She was also awarded the title of National March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetter, the highest honor presented by the All-China Women's Federation to the country's outstanding women, ahead of the International Women's Day observed on March 8.
Li said her achievements are the result of collective efforts.
"I often think that one person's strength is very limited, but the strength of a group is great. There are 195 ecological forest rangers like me protecting this land in the Dulongjiang Grand Canyon," she said.
As a female forest ranger, Li shared a message for women ahead of the International Women's Day.
"To mark the International Women's Day, I want to say to all my sisters: No matter what position we are in, as long as we are willing to endure hardship and work hard, we will surely weave our own rainbow," she said.
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
