What does it mean
to be vegan?

A vegan in the most basic sense is someone who doesn't eat or drink animal products. They make sure that all the food they buy/consume is 'plant based', and does not have ingredients such as meat, dairy or eggs.

Sometimes the non-vegan ingredients are not obvious, such as ‘cochineal extract’, also known as ‘E120’ or ‘carmine’, which is made from crushed up beetles. And sometimes things that you would expect to be vegan contain animal products. For example, many dried herbs have milk powder as an ingredient.

There is also the fact that some food, whilst it has vegan ingredients, has non-vegan processes. Some beers and wines are strained through fish bones to get rid of the impurities. Some cereals and fruit juices say they are fortified with vitamin D and omega-3, which are sometimes made from sheep’s wool grease and fish respectively. Bananas are sometimes sprayed with chitosan, derived from crab and shrimp shells, to extend their shelf life. Some white sugars, especially icing sugar, aren’t vegan as they’re filtered using bone char.

There are also a surprising number of non-food products that sometimes contain animal products, for example:

• Shampoos and Conditioners – lecithin from animal or dairy sources
• Medication – gelatine (made from animal bones) coating
• Fabric Softener – tallow (animal fat)
• Fireworks – stearic acid, which is derived from animal fat
• Crayons – beef fat
• Tyres – stearic acid, which is derived from animal fat

Vegetarian: People who abstain from the consumption of meat, fish and poultry, and anything that involves eating the animal itself.

Pescetarian: Like vegetarian, except they will eat fish and other sea food.

Vegan: Does not eat any animals or animal products.

With so many of our everyday items containing animal products, why do people bother going vegan?

There are five main reasons people decide to become vegan:

Ethics – Some people believe it is unethical to eat animals and animal products, because of the killing and mistreatment of animals that happens as a result.

The Environment – Some people decided to go vegan due to the negative environmental impact of intensive animal farming – the livestock industry produces around 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and one kilogram of beef requires 25kg of grain and 15,000 litres of water.

Health – Veganism can have health benefits, such as weight loss, lower risk of heart disease, and a reduced risk of diabetes or to manage existing blood sugar issues. Veganism does also make it harder to get some essential nutrients such as certain proteins, vitamin B12, or omega 3, and has been reported to lead to lower bone density.

Some people also become vegans due to allergies and intolerances, for example they may be ethically vegetarian but have a dairy intolerance.

Religion – Some people’s religious beliefs lead them to become vegans. Followers of Jainism, an ancient Indian religion, believe that ‘non-violence is one’s highest religious duty’, which compels them to follow a ‘non-violent’ (vegan) diet. Most Hindus are vegetarian due to their strong beliefs around non-injury and compassion, with some being influenced by their beliefs to take it a step further and become vegan. Some schools of Buddhism follow a vegan diet, some Jews concerned with Kosher practices become vegetarian or vegan, and some Christians also decide to take up a vegan or vegetarian diet for lent. Remember though, some religious people decide to become vegans for reasons outside of their religion, usually tied to one of the other reasons discussed.

Preference – For some people it is simply a case of preference. Some people don’t like the texture of meat and some animal products, and may find it easier to describe themselves as vegan rather than explain their preferences.

Some people also become vegan temporarily, either as part of a challenge such as Veganuary, or even to raise money for charity.