It’s not as if Wendy’s was ever considered a champion of animal welfare, but foie gras burgers? Really?

In an effort to lure Japanese customers, Wendy’s has apparently made several additions to the menu in that country including a $16 foie gras hamburger. The burger is available in Japanese locations only and is part of their plan to appeal to the Japanese market after a two-year hiatus.

As you’re probably aware, foie gras is made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been “specially” fattened. What makes this particular animal product so much more offensive than your average factory-farmed piece of meat (which, of course, is plenty offensive in its own right), is the particular cruelty with which it is produced.

The unfortunate birds being farmed for foie gras are force fed two or three times a day with a large tube that pumps as much as 4 pounds of grain and fat into their stomachs. This routine results in livers that bloat up to 10 times their normal size – a condition so painful, most of them cannot stand or walk. The process of force feeding also often results in horrifying injury to beaks and throats. Death by choking or as a result of ruptured organs is quite common.

This process has been outlawed for its cruelty in over a dozen countries worldwide including the U.K., Germany, Italy and Israel. Laws banning the sale and production of foie gras have been enacted in cities across the U.S. and a total ban goes into effect in the state of California next year. There have also been several notable chefs and high-end restaurants that refuse to serve foie gras including Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Trotter’s.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying: Wendy’s, you should be ashamed of yourselves.