Bees And What Is Really Vegan

Bees, through being pollinators, are vitality important in fertilising many flowers which grow into plants for us to eat (and for other animals to eat which we then eat). This is why the declining bee population is so concerning with some people believing that bee extinction will be the cause of human extinction.

Bees are small animals and are the right size to fly into a flower, collect pollen, and then play their role in fertilisation by releasing their pollen into another flower. But bees are just like humans and they need to get something out of their work which is fertilising plants. This is the role of nectar which has a sweet smell that invites the bees to a flower and when consumed the pollen of the flower is unknowably transferred onto the bees body. The nectar is then flown back to the beehive where it is used in the creation of honey and honeycomb.

Veganism

Being vegetarian means you don’t consume animals. Being pescaterian means the only meat you consume is fish. Being vegan means you don’t eat (or use) any animals or animal derived products. What is classed as meat or fish is pretty easy but what is animal derived is harder to discern.

Not Vegan (Easy Edition)

Non vegan items include all meats like beef, chicken, lamb, mutton, and pork, and also rarer meats like deer (including reindeer), duck, pigeon, rabbit, and snake. Also not allowed are all species of fish which include: anchovies, cod, mackerel, octopus, oysters, pike, salmon, sardines, shrimp, squid and tuna.

So far these are also not allowed for vegetarians but vegans also can’t consume animal derived products. Specifically this means that they can’t consume anything created by an animal. This excludes items such as cheese, eggs, honey, and milk.

Not Vegan (Hard Edition)

According to The Vegan Society veganism “seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”. As you can see it is slightly different to not consuming anything animals have any part in creating. This means that a definition of veganism would not allow any foods that are pollinated by animals (mostly bees). This only leaves a few foods which include the fruits tomatoes and peaches, grains such as corn, rice, wheat and some beans, and nuts such as peanuts and pecans.

Non food Veganism

The Vegan Society also extends veganism into clothing and other purposes which mostly excludes leather, silk, suede, and wool. This is quite logical as whether you are going to eat the product or not an animal will need to be used or killed.