{"id":9795,"date":"2024-01-13T21:22:57","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9795"},"modified":"2024-01-13T21:22:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:22:57","slug":"is-honey-vegan-plus-vegan-honey-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9795","title":{"rendered":"Is Honey Vegan? Plus Vegan Honey Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3758027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3758027\/\">Humans have been enjoying honey<\/a> for nearly 8,000 years as not only a delicious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/your-guide-to-natural-sweeteners\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/your-guide-to-natural-sweeteners\/\">natural sweetener<\/a> that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/does-honey-expire\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/does-honey-expire\/\">never expires<\/a> (even if it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/crystallized-honey\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/crystallized-honey\/\">crystalizes<\/a>), but also as an antioxidant-rich natural remedy with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5424551\/#:~:text=%5B10%5D%20Evidence%20indicates%20that%20honey,system%5B16%5D%20protective%20effects.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5424551\/#:~:text=%5B10%5D%20Evidence%20indicates%20that%20honey,system%5B16%5D%20protective%20effects.\">several health benefits<\/a>, as well as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/honey-as-a-face-wash-for-acne\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/honey-as-a-face-wash-for-acne\/\">facial cleanser<\/a> (seriously). And while its popularity has only increased in recent years, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vegan-diet\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vegan-diet\/\">rise of veganism<\/a>\u2014basically choosing not to eat anything that comes from animals and trying to avoid using animal stuff in general\u2014has some consumers asking more nuanced questions like: \u201cIs honey vegan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is so much confusion around this topic as many people don\u2019t fully understand how honey is made and how honey production impacts bees. This can make educated decision making a real challenge. Here we\u2019ll dive into all things honey to determine whether beekeeping is exploitative (disqualifying honey as a vegan food) or if it\u2019s okay for vegans to eat honey. Plus, we\u2019ll highlight some honey alternatives for those who want to skip the sticky stuff altogether.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\">\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\">Nissa Coit<\/a>, former honey bee researcher, Learning Network associate and adjunct lecturer at Sterling College <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<h2>What is honey and how is it made?<\/h2>\n<p>First, let\u2019s get a better understanding of how honey is made. \u201cForager honey bees collect nectar when they visit flowers, which they store in an organ called the crop. Here, enzymes in their saliva modify the nectar,\u201d explains former honey bee researcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nissa-coit-434973160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nissa-coit-434973160\">Nissa Coit<\/a> a Learning Network associate and adjunct lecturer at Sterling College.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUpon returning to the hive, the honey bees spread the nectar on the walls of the wax cells, and fan their wings to evaporate off the water,\u201d she says. As this moisture evaporates, the sugars in the nectar thicken and develop into honey.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline text-h5 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/is-honey-vegan\/\" current-title=\"A Short-and-Sweet Answer to Whether Honey Is Vegan From a Former Bee Researcher\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_2024-01-12-115351-425x285_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-07-13\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/is-honey-vegan\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/is-honey-vegan\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/is-honey-vegan\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As an aside, Coit explains that these wax cells are made from glands in the bees\u2019 bodies, so consuming beeswax products would be akin to drinking cow\u2019s milk (aka very not vegan).<\/p>\n<p>Honey provides energy and essential nutrients for the bees to survive and thrive, especially in the winter when flower nectar isn\u2019t available. The nectar from a staggering <a href=\"https:\/\/honeycouncil.ca\/how-to-make-a-pound-of-honey\/#:~:text=Honey%20bees%20will%20tap%20about,(454%20g)%20of%20honey.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/honeycouncil.ca\/how-to-make-a-pound-of-honey\/#:~:text=Honey%20bees%20will%20tap%20about,(454%20g)%20of%20honey.\">two million flowers<\/a> is required to make just one pound of the popular sweetener, according to the Canadian Honey Council; however, healthy bee colonies produce more honey than they need, sometimes <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSFD-1147319%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.newscientist.com%252Fquestion%252Fbees-make-honey%252F%2523%253A%257E%253Atext%253DHoney%252520bees%252520make%252520honey%252520to%252Cbees%252520are%252520unable%252520to%252520forage.&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fis-honey-vegan%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/question\/bees-make-honey\/#:~:text=Honey%20bees%20make%20honey%20to,bees%20are%20unable%20to%20forage.\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\" data-aff-intermediate=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=104860X1561639&amp;xs=1&amp;xcust=STMSFD-1147319&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Fquestion%2Fbees-make-honey%2F%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DHoney%2520bees%2520make%2520honey%2520to%2Cbees%2520are%2520unable%2520to%2520forage.\">two to three times more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>But back to the question at hand\u2026is honey vegan and is it considered an animal product?<\/h2>\n<p>While honey bees do not produce honey from their bodies the way that a cow produces milk, they do labor to produce it, and their bodies modify it, according to Coit. \u201cEssentially, eating honey is stealing a bit of their labor, rather than a product produced by their actual bodies,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>If this was the only factory to consider, theoretically, vegans could enjoy the sticky stuff. But even with small-scale, local, holistic honey production, bees are almost always harmed in the harvesting of honey, which does not align with the principles of veganism. So, no, honey is not vegan.<\/p>\n<h2>The ethical implication of honey production and how it impacts bees<\/h2>\n<p>In practice, Coit says that whenever a beekeeper inspects the hive, even just to check on them or administer medicine, some bees will likely be killed in the process, from being squished or even just from stinging you. \u201cIn fact, in order to reduce the number of pesticides required to deal with invasive, parasitic mites, a beekeeper must sacrifice several hundred bees to a alcohol mite shake test,\u201d she says. To put this into perspective, there are tens of thousands of bees in a colony, according to Coit.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, bee losses are much higher with industrial beekeeping. \u201cReliance on beekeeping to pollinate monocropping agricultural operations harms both the environment, the bees themselves, and the resilience of our food systems,\u201d Coit explains. This is because these agricultural tycoons contribute to deforestation and utilize harmful pesticides, both of which not only harm bees but rob global soils of the nutrients needed to produce nutritious food and diverse, healthy plant life. These factors can also increase the incidence of bee disease resulting in major losses for even small-scale, ethically-practicing beekeepers. In fact, U.S. beekeepers <a href=\"https:\/\/ocm.auburn.edu\/newsroom\/news_articles\/2021\/06\/241121-honey-bee-annual-loss-survey-results.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/ocm.auburn.edu\/newsroom\/news_articles\/2021\/06\/241121-honey-bee-annual-loss-survey-results.php\">lost over 48 percent of their honey bee colonies<\/a> between 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n<p>You may be wondering what People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has to say about honey. The organization suggests avoiding the sweetener for the following reasons it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-food\/animals-used-food-factsheets\/honey-factory-farmed-bees\/#:~:text=Profiting%20from%20honey%20requires%20the,genetic%20manipulation%2C%20and%20stressful%20transportation.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-food\/animals-used-food-factsheets\/honey-factory-farmed-bees\/#:~:text=Profiting%20from%20honey%20requires%20the,genetic%20manipulation%2C%20and%20stressful%20transportation.\">writes on its website<\/a>: \u201cProfiting from honey requires the manipulation and exploitation of the insects\u2019 desire to live and protect their hive. Like other factory-farmed animals, honeybees are victims of unnatural living conditions, genetic manipulation, and stressful transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Why we need bees<\/h3>\n<p>Bees serve a much larger role than just producing honey, however, as they pollinate many more plant varieties than just flowers\u2014including those that feed us. In fact, around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8396518\/#:~:text=Animal%2Dbased%20pollination%20contributes%20to,the%20total%20human%20dietary%20supply.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8396518\/#:~:text=Animal%2Dbased%20pollination%20contributes%20to,the%20total%20human%20dietary%20supply.\">30 percent of the global human food supply<\/a> is pollinated by bees. Aside from sustaining the food supply, bees also work to maintain global ecological diversity and ecosystem health by pollinating the unique plants that make up these environments. These landscapes would look drastically different without these important animals. And that reality is not so far fetched as \u201cone in six bee species is regionally extinct and more than 40 percent are vulnerable to extinction,\u201d according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/campaigns\/saving-the-insects\/native-bees.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/campaigns\/saving-the-insects\/native-bees.html\">Center for Biological Diversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Exploring honey substitutes<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you want to steer clear of honey due to concerns for animal welfare, an accidental <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fake-honey-problem\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fake-honey-problem\/\">fake honey<\/a> purchase, or otherwise, there are plenty of honey substitutes that you can turn to.<\/p>\n<p>These alternatives are similar to honey in that they are either viscous (i.e. thick and gooey) liquids or have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gut-friendly-sweeteners\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gut-friendly-sweeteners\/\">added nutrients<\/a> to improve their health impact. While they\u2019ll all result in a bit of a blood sugar spike (just like honey), they won\u2019t have the same level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/health-effects-of-sugar\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/health-effects-of-sugar\/\">pro-inflammatory impacts as refined cane sugar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Should you be wondering: Is there a vegan version of honey? You\u2019re in luck. A slew of bee-free honey brands are available including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blenditup.com\/products\/vegan-bee-free-honey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.blenditup.com\/products\/vegan-bee-free-honey\">Blenditup\u2019s Organic Vegan Honey<\/a> made from apples and <a href=\"https:\/\/plantbasedartisan.com\/product\/original-vegan-honea-honey-alternative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/plantbasedartisan.com\/product\/original-vegan-honea-honey-alternative\/\">Plant Based Artisan\u2019s Original Vegan Honea<\/a>. These swaps offer more of a honey-like flavor than the other alternatives listed here.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[0px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Humans have been enjoying honey for nearly 8,000 years as not only a delicious natural sweetener that never expires (even if it crystalizes), but also as an antioxidant-rich natural remedy with several health benefits, as well as a facial cleanser (seriously). And while its popularity has only increased in recent years, the rise of veganism\u2014basically &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}