Is Honey vegan?

riponhassan · 16-07-2020 11:48am #1

I really want to know a satisfactory answer for this. Surfed lots but didn't find a satisfying answer. Can I use it?

Tired Gardener · 16-07-2020 11:54am

As it is produced by animals it isn't Vegan. Any food or product that either contains or is made from a commodity produced by an animal is not Vegan.

That being said I have known Vegans who do eat Honey, their justification was that Bees are an important pollinator. However it must be stressed that they are the minority, most Vegans and Vegan products will not use Honey.

Do what you feel is best for you. It is best to not be dogmatic and do something because other people tell you to.

Xcellor · 17-07-2020 4:50pm

riponhassan wrote: »

I really want to know a satisfactory answer for this. Surfed lots but didn't find a satisfying answer. Can I use it?

Nope. There are lots of alternatives though. Maple syrup is tasty.

Dr Turk Turkelton · 17-07-2020 4:51pm

Xcellor wrote: »

Nope. There are lots of alternatives though. Maple syrup is tasty.

Is that not the blood of a maple tree though?

Str8outtaWuhan · 17-07-2020 4:54pm

When I told my vegan wife how figs were made, she had a hard decision to make.

Xcellor · 17-07-2020 5:08pm

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Is that not the blood of a maple tree though?

No.

Tig98 · 17-07-2020 5:09pm

More like its lymph fluid

The Hound Gone Wild · 17-07-2020 5:10pm

I've never understood this. The bees are used and kept by farmers to pollinate crops. Are apples not vegan because bees are used in their production? Who's honey is then cultivated?

Iscreamkone · 17-07-2020 5:10pm

Xcellor wrote: »

Nope. There are lots of alternatives though. Maple syrup is tasty.

The "Land of soya milk and maple syrup" doesn't do it for me

Mr_Muffin · 17-07-2020 5:17pm

The bumble bees are basically kept as slaves by the bee keeper, thus it isn't vegan.

Xcellor · 17-07-2020 5:39pm

The Hound Gone Wild wrote: »

I've never understood this. The bees are used and kept by farmers to pollinate crops. Are apples not vegan because bees are used in their production? Who's honey is the cultivated?

That's true. Bee farms that loan out hives to pollinate.

G-Man · 17-07-2020 5:39pm

And the apples from the flowers pollinated by the bee. Are they not the work of an animal too. Particularly any apples you buy commercially.

beveragelady · 19-07-2020 9:33pm

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

The bumble bees are basically kept as slaves by the bee keeper, thus it isn't vegan.

He's not much of a beekeeper if he's keeping bumblebees.

Worztron · 20-07-2020 7:59pm

20-07-2020 8:03pm

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

Is that not the blood of a maple tree though?

Vegans eat vegetation though anyway

10000maniacs · 20-07-2020 8:10pm

Bees don't make honey, they harvest it from plants. Like what fruit pickers do. Is an apple vegan because it was picked by an animal, i.e. a bird or a fruit picker? I think not.

Poncke · 20-07-2020 8:16pm

Do what you feel is best for you. It is best to not be dogmatic and do something because other people tell you to.

This, plus to add to that, bees probably thrive in beehives, they have optimal conditions to be as happy as they can bee. There will be no animal suffering. Enjoy the honey.

Poncke · 20-07-2020 8:18pm

Tired Gardener wrote: »

.

That being said I have known Vegans who do eat Honey, their justification was that Bees are an important pollinator. However it must be stressed that they are the minority, most Vegans and Vegan products will not use Honey.

Honeybees are extremely efficient at collecting pollen and returning it to their hives, but as a consequence they transfer little to the flowers they visit. They are quantifiable less effective at pollination than wild bees.

Poncke · 20-07-2020 8:20pm

10000maniacs wrote: »

Bees don't make honey, they harvest it from plants. Like what fruit pickers do. Is an apple vegan because it was picked by an animal, i.e. a bird or a fruit picker? I think not.

Well thats wrong, bees start making honey, which is their food, by visiting flowers. They collect a sugary juice called nectar from the blossom by sucking it out with their tongues. They store it in what's called their honey stomach, which is different from their food stomach.

When they have a full load, they fly back to the hive. There, they pass it on through their mouths to other worker bees who chew it for about half an hour. It's passed from bee to bee, until it gradually turns into honey.

riponhassan · 25-07-2020 8:48pm

Tired Gardener wrote: »

As it is produced by animals it isn't Vegan. Any food or product that either contains or is made from a commodity produced by an animal is not Vegan.

That being said I have known Vegans who do eat Honey, their justification was that Bees are an important pollinator. However it must be stressed that they are the minority, most Vegans and Vegan products will not use Honey.

Do what you feel is best for you. It is best to not be dogmatic and do something because other people tell you to.

Thanks for the valuable information.

human 19 · 25-07-2020 9:58pm

As with the industrial production of any animal derived foodstuff, a lot of companies don't give a damn about the animals producing the food. Look how many are killed in 1 minute. This video is from America and I don't know what the production methods are in other countries

In any case , this film. made me decide not to buy mass-produced honey. If you want to buy honey, I suggest looking for local small scale producers and maybe ask if you can visit their colony. You may then be very happy to support them by buying their honey.

This is from the film "More than Honey", available to watch on you tube

beveragelady · 25-07-2020 10:46pm

Poncke wrote: »

Honeybees are extremely efficient at collecting pollen and returning it to their hives, but as a consequence they transfer little to the flowers they visit. They are quantifiable less effective at pollination than wild bees.

My honey bees are wild bees.
Native Irish black bees. I bought one nuc of native black bees, the other hives are inhabited by swarms that found their own way here and are more than happy with the accommodation.

endacl · 25-07-2020 10:55pm

human 19 wrote: »

If you want to buy honey, I suggest looking for local small scale producers and maybe ask if you can visit their colony. You may then be very happy to support them by buying their honey.

I’m the very same! I won’t buy a carrot from a supermarket. Direct from the farmer, but only after he’s agreed to let me walk up and down his carrot patch!

I’ve the farmers driven mad. A weekly shop takes me a fortnight.

Cheeseplant · 04-08-2020 11:29am

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

When I told my vegan wife how figs were made, she had a hard decision to make.

I had to go and look this up- I really didn't know about the wasps!
safe to say, I have been turned off figrolls for life

Poncke · 04-08-2020 3:12pm

Here’s the good news: According to Karla Stockli, the CEO of the California Fig Advisory Board, more than 95 percent of figs produced and sold commercially in California are self-pollinating. And luckily, many of the figs that we buy in the U.S. are from California. “California produces 100 percent of the nation’s dried figs and 98 percent of fresh figs under the best growing conditions and highest quality standards in the world,” Stockli explains.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-are-figs_n_57bc3dc5e4b03d51368a989a?

Cheeseplant · 05-08-2020 12:34pm

Poncke wrote: »

Here’s the good news: According to Karla Stockli, the CEO of the California Fig Advisory Board, more than 95 percent of figs produced and sold commercially in California are self-pollinating. And luckily, many of the figs that we buy in the U.S. are from California. “California produces 100 percent of the nation’s dried figs and 98 percent of fresh figs under the best growing conditions and highest quality standards in the world,” Stockli explains.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-are-figs_n_57bc3dc5e4b03d51368a989a?

hmm does that apply to the ones we buy in Europe? Honestly, now when i think of the crunchy bits in figrolls... ew., never again. And they were my go to 'healthy' biccie!

:D

Space Dog · 06-08-2020 11:12am

Cheeseplant wrote: »

hmm does that apply to the ones we buy in Europe? Honestly, now when i think of the crunchy bits in figrolls... ew., never again. And they were my go to 'healthy' biccie! :D

"Luckily for us, the female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely. The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts"

An Ri rua · 06-08-2020 11:15am

Tired Gardener wrote: »

As it is produced by animals it isn't Vegan. Any food or product that either contains or is made from a commodity produced by an animal is not Vegan.

That being said I have known Vegans who do eat Honey, their justification was that Bees are an important pollinator. However it must be stressed that they are the minority, most Vegans and Vegan products will not use Honey.

Do what you feel is best for you. It is best to not be dogmatic and do something because other people tell you to.

Pedantic, but you've known vegetarians who thought they were vegans. If they eat honey, they're not vegan.
In agreement with you overall of course.

An Ri rua · 06-08-2020 11:20am

beveragelady wrote: »

He's not much of a beekeeper if he's keeping bumblebees.

He meant bumbling beekeeper...

An Ri rua · 06-08-2020 11:22am

10000maniacs wrote: »

Bees don't make honey, they harvest it from plants. Like what fruit pickers do. Is an apple vegan because it was picked by an animal, i.e. a bird or a fruit picker? I think not.

Bees DO make honey. Jesus wept. They collect nectar. They produce honey as food for the next generation.

c.p.w.g.w · 06-08-2020 11:24am

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

When I told my vegan wife how figs were made, she had a hard decision to make.

How are figs made? I thought they just grow on tree's...Or are they like Almonds requiring massive amounts of bee's to pollinate

An Ri rua · 06-08-2020 11:26am

beveragelady wrote: »

My honey bees are wild bees.
Native Irish black bees. I bought one nuc of native black bees, the other hives are inhabited by swarms that found their own way here and are more than happy with the accommodation.

Fair dues to you. It's a wonderful vocation. My late father got into bees when in his late 50s. Marvellous creatures.
They don't milk as well as the good old Bumblebee though

TheBoyConor · 06-08-2020 11:32am

Worztron wrote: »

As the newphew of an avid bee keeper, having regularly helped him over the years I have to say that the above is an absolute load of hyperbolic propaganda bullhshít.

06-08-2020 11:52am

Bumblebees were discovered to be excellent pollinators of tomatoes by a Dutch man, so yes people do use them.

Str8outtaWuhan · 06-08-2020 8:51pm

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

How are figs made? I thought they just grow on tree's...Or are they like Almonds requiring massive amounts of bee's to pollinate

fig wasp pollinates female fig plant and dies inside the fig. fig then dissolves the body, mostly....

Worztron · 16-08-2020 8:39am

TheBoyConor wrote: »

As the newphew of an avid bee keeper, having regularly helped him over the years I have to say that the above is an absolute load of hyperbolic propaganda bullhshít.

Nice anecdote. Your aunt/uncle is clearly not representative of the entire honey industry.

gozunda · 22-08-2020 2:47pm

Worztron wrote: »

Nice anecdote. Your aunt/uncle is clearly not representative of the entire honey industry.

Why the putting down of a poster giving their own personal experience?

The point is that video is certainly
not representative of the 'entire' honey industry either

Like most of that type of bs slick propaganda tbh ...

Like it or not the fact is that many many commercial crops are heavily dependent on the use of bees.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/would-we-starve-without-bees/zkf292p

Rogue operations should never be a reason to beat everyone with the same stick.

Worztron · 30-08-2020 5:31pm

gozunda wrote: »

Why the putting down of a poster giving their own personal experience?

The point is that video is certainly
not representative of the 'entire' honey industry either

Like most of that type of bs slick propaganda tbh ...

Like it or not the fact is that many many commercial crops are heavily dependent on the use of bees.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/would-we-starve-without-bees/zkf292p

Rogue operations should never be a reason to beat everyone with the same stick.

I didn't put them down. We can disagree on the points. No surprise there then. ;-)

TheKBizzle · 30-08-2020 10:14pm

Lots of vegans I know eat honey.

Things like avocados and butternut squash are not technically vegan as they use migratory beekeeping where bees are transported to pollinate crops, I think kiwis and almonds too so depends on how strict you are

lsjmhar · 30-08-2020 10:36pm

You can use honey if you stop being vegan!

auspicious · 30-08-2020 11:31pm

TheKBizzle wrote: »

Lots of vegans I know eat honey.

Things like avocados and butternut squash are not technically vegan as they use migratory beekeeping where bees are transported to pollinate crops, I think kiwis and almonds too so depends on how strict you are

I'm not a total purist( as in for example, don't mind eating vegan food, say, cooked on a surface which cooked meat). Hate on me or educate me but I'm not sure about the finer details of this. I haven't really researched it. I don't use honey but I think it's okay to use them to pollinate. Once bees are not neglectfully harmed and their food source isn't taken, I'm okay.
I'd like to hear opinions.

Is Honey vegan?

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