Is it ok for a veggie or vegan to eat honey?

Answer 1

vegan- no
vegetarian- yea

Answer 2

I'm vegan. I don't eat honey , use
beeswax, or candles made from
animal fat. However I don't
frown upon anyone who does because it
gets into the type of legalism that often
drives people away from veg. It's a personal
choice that's not that a big of a deal and I have
seen organic, cruelty free honey.

Also I've learned not to be stuck on doing
vegan things just for the sake of earning and
reearning the title Vegan. I can't catch
everything. I'm sure to miss something some-
where no matter how hard I read the ingredients.


My personal reasons for not eating honey
are:
1. It comes from a bees behind
2. When man derives something from an
animal he's usually going to manipulate
the animal in some form or way. So I'd
rather err on the side of caution.

But these are just my personal opinions.
I can see how other Vegans and Strict
vegetarians would call this a bit extreme.

Answer 3

This is really just to address PsychoCola's abysmally ignorant answer. Most crops are dependent upon beekeepers, because of all the insecticides that have been pumped into crops. There are no longer enough bees to fertilize our crops, so large commercial beekeepers truck bees all over the country to fertilize crops at the right time (they receive fees for this). Also, honey bees do not fare well in certain parts of the US (like Maine) and need to be brought in temporarily (Maine is really too cold and damp for honeybees--bumble bees do well, but they are not efficient pollinators on a large scale). Sen has a point in supporting the beekeeper.

Answer 4

Vegans don't eat animal products. Bees are animals. Honey comes from bees. Honey is not just a "by-product". Bees are often killed during harvesting or at the end of the season.

Besides, maple syrup and agave nectar taste a lot better.

Answer 5

Vegetarians, yes.

However, most vegans consider honey to be in the same category as dairy products and eggs, something produced by animals even though it doesn't kill the animal. So vegans don't eat honey.

Answer 6

Here ya go:
"Veganism is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence for life. It applies to the practice of living on the products of the plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animal milk and its derivatives, and encourages the use of alternatives for all commodities derived wholly or in part from animals" This is the description of vegan that was first used and coined in 1944.

Answer 7

In response to Sen likes Veg's answer...

You're no vegan, Sen likes Veg. Meat farmers are the only reason there are cattle and pigs and chicken, right? If nobody ate meat, there would be no meat farmers, and no cattle and pigs and chicken, right? So I guess vegans like you and me should eat meat to keep the cattle and pigs and chicken alive because we care for animals, right?

And also you yourself said without bees there'd be no fruits and vegetables... so how the hell do you figure without beekeepers there'd be no bees? You think mankind would just kill off all the bees even though it would mean no fruits or vegetables?


And to sq, my point exactly! What I'm saying is just because we need bees doesn't mean we need to take their honey!

Answer 8

You are still a veg if you do, but it's not a great idea. Read below:

Sure, honey tastes sweet, but you’ll get a bad taste in your mouth when you learn how it’s "harvested."

From a former beekeeper: "[T]ypically, beekeepers are gloved and netted to avoid stings (nearly every bee who stings will die due to her entrails being pulled from her body attached to her stinger.) Then the hives are opened as quickly as possible and the bees are ‘smoked.’ Smoke from a smoldering fire carried in a ‘smoker’ is pumped into the hive and the bees are ‘calmed.’ In spite of this, the combs are pulled quickly and many bees are crushed in the process. When a bee is hurt, she releases a chemical message that alerts and activates the hive members who proceed to attack the intruder—giving their lives in the process."

Answer 9

no it is not permissible for vegans to eat honey. I'm a vegan, and yet I eat honey. Why? because bees make it possible for vegans to live as vegans by pollination. and beekeepers are the only reason there are bees in the US. without beekeepers, no bees. without bees, no fruits and vegetables. so I support beekeepers. as vegans, we care for animals and bees- after all are animals.

Answer 10

vegans dont eat honey, it is made by bees so it is off limits.

Answer 11

Although vegans don't eat honey, I never heard of a bee killed or exploited for it's honey. It is a by-product.