Honey: Not A Plant-Based Food

Honey is a controversial food among those following a plant-based diet. While honey is made from bees collecting nectar from plants, it is not considered plant-based because it is made by living bees and is, therefore, an animal product. Bees make honey to feed their offspring and stockpile it for the winter months when flowers are not in bloom. Bees will visit up to 1500 flowers to fill their 'honey stomach', a separate stomach where enzymes break down the nectar into honey. After returning to the hive, the bees regurgitate and chew the nectar to complete the honey-making process. Honey is fundamental to the hive's wellbeing, providing bees with energy and essential nutrients.

Honey is not vegan because it is made by bees

Honey is made by bees, and many commercial bee farmers employ practices that are unethical by vegan standards. These include frequent queen replacement, the use of protein and carbohydrate supplements to feed the bees, and the use of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals for pest and pathogen control. These practices can be harmful to bees and can reduce their defences against pesticides.

Vegans aim to minimise animal exploitation and cruelty, and so most exclude honey from their diets. Instead, they may opt for plant-based alternatives such as maple syrup, date syrup, or agave.

Many vegans view honey as the result of bee exploitation

Veganism is a way of living that aims to minimise animal exploitation and cruelty. This means that vegans avoid eating animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as foods made from them. Honey is made by bees and is therefore not vegan, so most vegans exclude it from their diets.

Commercial beekeepers often employ practices that are unethical by vegan standards, such as frequent queen replacement and the use of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals. These practices are seen as exploitative by vegans, who take a stand against them by avoiding honey and other bee products.

In addition to ethical concerns, some vegans avoid honey because they believe that commercial honey farming may harm bee health. Honey provides bees with essential nutrients, but beekeepers often replace it with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup, which can harm bees' immune systems and reduce their defences against pesticides.

While there is some debate among vegans about whether or not to include honey in their diets, most view it as a form of bee exploitation and choose to avoid it. They instead opt for plant-based sweeteners such as maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, and date syrup.

Commercial honey farming may harm bees' health

Secondly, during transportation between farms, bees experience abnormal growth, such as shrunken hypopharyngeal glands. Additionally, the artificial insemination process kills drone bees. Beekeepers also use smoke to calm bees during hive inspections, which interferes with their primary form of communication through smell. While reversible, excessive smoking can unduly distress the bees. Some beekeepers even gas entire hives with cyanide if they deem it too expensive to keep them alive through winter.

Another common practice is the intentional wing-clipping of queen bees to prevent swarming and maintain honey production levels. However, swarming is the natural way for bee colonies to reproduce and ensure their survival. By suppressing this behavior, beekeepers are prioritizing honey production over the bees' natural reproductive strategies and the diversification of their gene pool.

Furthermore, commercial honey farming contributes to the problem of declining bee populations. Domesticated honeybees compete with wild bee populations for resources, and selective breeding makes farmed honeybees more susceptible to diseases, which can then spread to other bee species.

Therefore, commercial honey farming practices can negatively impact bees' health, nutrition, communication, and overall survival, highlighting the importance of adopting more sustainable and bee-friendly approaches to honey production.

Honey is not considered a whole food

Veganism is a lifestyle that aims to minimize animal exploitation and cruelty. Vegans typically avoid eating animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy, and this often extends to honey as well. The production of honey involves the labour of bees, and many commercial beekeeping practices are considered unethical by vegan standards. These practices include frequent queen replacement, the use of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals, and the feeding of bees with protein and carbohydrate supplements rather than letting them feed on their own honey.

Additionally, the honey extraction process may harm bee health. Bees produce honey to consume over the winter months when honey production is low, but commercial beekeepers often take the honey away from the bees and replace it with sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup. These supplemental carbohydrates lack the beneficial nutrients found in honey and can harm the bees' immune systems, reducing their defences against pesticides.

As a result, many people who follow a plant-based diet choose to exclude honey and opt for vegan alternatives such as maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, date syrup, or plant-based sweeteners like Bee-Free Honee. These alternatives provide similar sweetness and functionality but without the use of animal labour.

There are many vegan alternatives to honey

Honey is a controversial food among vegans. While some vegans who eat an otherwise entirely plant-based diet may opt to include honey in their diet, most vegans view honey as non-vegan and avoid eating it. This is because most vegans see no difference between bee farming and other forms of animal farming, and the associated exploitation and cruelty.

Fortunately, there are many vegan alternatives to honey. Here are some plant-based options that can be used as a replacement:

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is made from the sap of the maple tree and contains several vitamins, minerals, and up to 24 protective antioxidants. It has a distinctive flavour that differs significantly from honey and is a brilliant alternative that can be used in the same context.

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is a thick, dark-brown liquid obtained from boiling sugar cane juice three times. It is rich in iron and calcium and has a rich, molasses-like taste that will give your dessert a unique flavour.

Barley Malt Syrup

This syrup is made from sprouted barley and has a golden colour and flavour similar to blackstrap molasses.

Brown Rice Syrup

Also known as rice or malt syrup, brown rice syrup is made by exposing brown rice to enzymes that break down the starch found in rice to produce a thick, dark-coloured syrup. It is fructose-free and vegan, but it contains few nutrients and is a high GI food, so it should be consumed in moderation.

Date Syrup

Date syrup is made by heating dates in water, blending the mixture, filtering it, and then evaporating the water to obtain the vitamin- and nutrient-rich nectar. It is less sweet than honey and maple syrup but has a delicious caramel-like flavour. Dates are also loaded with fibre and natural sugar, making them a great whole food sweetener.

Bee-Free Honee

This branded sweetener is made from apples, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. It is advertised as a vegan alternative to honey that looks and feels like honey.

Pyure Organic Harmless Hunny

This alternative is organic, sugar-free, high in fibre, and satisfies the craving for honey without involving bees since it is made from plants.

Dandelion Honey

Dandelion honey is a vegan alternative that some people make themselves. It is made from freshly foraged dandelion flowers, organic sugar, lemon, and water.

Sorghum Syrup

Sorghum syrup is an ancient grain with a nutritionally rich profile. It is earth, woody, and subtly nutty in flavour. It is also a climate change-resistant alternative to sugar cane due to the drought-resistant and high-yield security nature of the sorghum crop. However, it can be difficult to find.

Unhoney and Mellody

These are vegan honey brands meant to be direct replacements for honey.

Like honey, all of these vegan sweeteners are high in sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation.

Frequently asked questions