Does Honey count as an animal product, which Vegans don't eat?

Answer 1

Depends. No hard rule on that one.

Answer 2

Good question, as a vegetarian I would imagine they would be against it due to animal cruelty, but I am not one to tell people what to eat.
I have a book I bought from Farm Animal Welfare Network, called Animal free shopper, on honey it states:
honey The primary food and energy source of adult bees, honey is removed from hives and, in commercial production, is substituted with a nutrient-deficient sugar solution. Worker bees fly the equivalent of six orbits of the Earth to produce 1kg honey.
Bees are frequently crushed during hive manipulation, the Queen's wings are clipped to prevent 'swarming', and hives may be destroyed before the non-productive winter months.
Queens are also subjected to artificial insemination and transit in the post. Bee sperm is obtained by decapitation, sending an electric impulse to the nervous system which causes sexual arousal.

I don't know about vegans, but this vegetarian is having serious thoughts about buying honey after reading that.

Answer 3

Most vegans, myself included, do not eat honey. Bees feel pain, and the harvesting of hone almost always causes pain to at least a few bees.
Not to mention that many vegans are against the enslavement of ANY animal, no matter how insignificant it seems, and no matter how harmless the enslavement seems. In boycotting animal products, we are trying the best we can to reduce all suffering at human hands.
The simple fact is, the bees make the honey for themselves. We have no real need for the honey, so why not give it up?
Instead of honey, I use agave nectar. It's a comparable price, and just as good.

Answer 4

I've personally never met a starving bee.

I don't use beeswax, but do have honey in the house. I'm most concerned about ethical treatment of animals and doing my best to live a vegan lifestyle.

I don't use make-up that could contain animal products (as well as human placentas....), leather, silk, etc etc.

I think there are extremes of veganism and it depends which outlook you have on veganism, dietary, spiritual, human health, religous, environment, animal rights.

Personal I look at my veganism as (in order) Animal rights, environment, spiritual and human health.

The choice is yours, and you need to be prepared to fight it.

Honey is an animal bi-product like gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, beeswax and shellac, if you use those, honey should be accetable, although I wouldn't call this a 'true' vegan.

Answer 5

As a vegan I don't

Bees are animals-contrary to what someone said-and they are harmed in the production of honey.

Their queens wings are cut off to stop them swarming which is natural behaviour.Many bees are crushed as the honey is removed from the combs.Many other bees try and defend their colonies food supply and get their stings caught in the beekeepers suit and are disemboweled.Bee-keepers also use smoke to drive many bees away from the hive which causes them distress.

Honey is made by bees as a food source for them during difficult times not as a food for greedy humans who don't need it.

So to sum it up-honey involves a lot of cruelty.Plus it's bee vomit which in itself is unappealing.

Answer 6

It does count as an "animal" product although they are not animals, so-to-speak. It's about the broader respect for all living thing idea. I use honey, but from a local beekeeper that I know and trust. Most honey is not just honey, but has added ingredients (that do not need to be listed on the label).

People do not think of bees as an animal or as being mistreated. Especially since most are workers that are kicked out of the hive (well, leave on their own accord for the good of the hive) at winter and die off. But, they are being affected by something right now.

If you don't already know, the bees (agricultural bees) are dying off in droves right now. Not only are they dying off, but they are disappearing, thus there are no heaps of bodies to find. Bees are used as pollinators for our field crops, but the bee keepers are doing unnatural things to them, such as feeding them processed sugars, putting starter hive patterns in the hive that are bigger than natural, and who knows what else to produce more volumes of honey. Is the reason for their demise? Or a combination of things? Cel-phone towers?

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

The very hardcore do consider it to be an animal product, but my experience with the vegan community is that this is a minority. Most vegans will eat honey.

Answer 9

vegans don't eat honey

Answer 10

I am a bee keeper,i do not take all the honey from the bees like some greedy people do,honey is very good for you.And remember if there was no bees mankind would die out....it is natural for bees to collect nectar and pollen veg en's do not have a clue about bees.the correct term is apiarist.

Answer 11

I would think Vegans would still eat honey, since its organic and bees are not really animals?