Do Vegans Eat Honey?
In general vegans do not eat honey because it is produced by bees which are animals. Also, Vegans want our existence to be as natural as possible and the honey that we are able to get at a store is based on unnatural mass production.
There are vegans who counter this and will eat honey and beeswax. Most vegans believe that because they are not given consent by the animal that what they produce is not ours for the taking/eating.
Why Do Bees Make Honey?
A honey bee (genus Apis Mellifera) produces honey for the hive as food storage in order to last through the long winter months when flowers are not blooming. Since they do not have access to the flowers in order to gather during those months they store their food in their hive for consumption to make it through until the spring.
The honey be will visit around 1,500 flowers to try and collect enough nectar to fill its honey stomach. The honey stomach is a second separate stomach which has enzymes that break down the nectar into honey. Once the bee returns to the hive it regurgitates and then chewed on by the house bees in order to finish the honey making process.
The hive works together to ensure that all bees of the hive have enough honey for the winter. A bee will produce a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey during its lifespan.
The bees also produce more than the hive can eat which is on reason some vegans believe it is OK to eat honey.
Can You Still be Vegan and Eat Honey?
No you are not able to be vegan and still eat honey. Being that it is made by an animal it does not fall into the vegan lifestyle. Even though the bees go out and collect pollen and are not producing it from their body does not matter.
Is Raw Honey Vegan?
Vegans do not eat animal products and a bee is an animal. Therefore a vegan will not eat honey regardless if it is raw or not.
Is Beeswax Vegan?
Again because bees wax is made by an animal it is not vegan and not consumed.
Is Burt’s Beeswax Vegan?
Burt’s Beeswax is not a vegan product although some vegans will argue against it.
What Is Synthetic Beeswax?
Synthetic beeswax is achieved by mixing a fatty acid esters, fatty acids, and alcohols from a non-animal raw material source that is matches closely to the chemical composition of what you would find in natural beeswax.
Vegans Can Eat Synthetic Beeswax!
Hopefully you are much cooler now that you can answer if honey is vegan. Make sure to drop a comment below and let everyone know your thoughts about honey and veganism.
