Q&A: Why Won't Vegans Use Honey?

Jennifer Shlomovich
2 hours ago
2 min read

A common question I have received since being vegan is "What wrong with honey?" followed by "It's not like the bees are being harmed." Before going vegan, I didn't think eating honey was a big deal myself. I have since learned a lot and think very differently.

Veganism is not a diet. It is a lifestyle that takes a stand against using and harming animals in all ways. There are so many terrible things that happen to animals all in the name of a meal that is consumed in 10 minutes. Not to mention fashion, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

The Truth About Honey

A single bee makes 1/12 a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. This means it takes 12 bees their entire lives to make just one teaspoon of honey!
Honey is food for the bees. They work really hard during the warmer months to make honey so they will have a nutritious food to live off of during the winter months. In commercial operations, honey is often taken from hives and replaced with a cheap sugar syrup that lacks the essential nutrients bees need to thrive.
Queen bees are artificially inseminated which is invasive and painful.
Bees are frequently injured or killed during during honey extraction and hive inspections.
Many queen bees will have their wings clipped to prevent them from leaving the hive.
Hives will get killed off once they are no longer profitable.

To learn more about this and get a better sense of just how terrible all of this is, I highly recommend watching this video by Ed Winters (Earthling Ed).

Honey Alternatives

There are many great substitutes out there to use instead of honey.

Maple Syrup
Agave Nectar
Date Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup

There are also a variety of recipes online on making bee free honey substitutes.

We live in a different time where we don't need to perpetuate these practices. We have alternatives, so why should we keep harming the bees? Just because things were always done a certain way, doesn't mean they have to stay the same. When we know better, we can do better. The planet is hurting in so many ways right now. I believe that respecting all living beings is a gateway to a kinder, healthier world.