Honey is an "animal" by-product. Plain and simple.

Yes, essentially honey is bee vomit. That in and of itself is the reason someone who is strictly vegan wouldn't consume it. There is also the matter of how the bees are treated. In order for a human to remove the honey, a lot of the bees must be removed from their home. This process, even when done as carefully as possible does cause inadvertent injury, squishing and killing of some of the bees. On a small level, for instance, a local bee keeper, this will be minimal. However, on a large scale, such as big brands like the honey bears, the instances will be much larger because the removal process isn't nearly as careful. That is the short of it. There is a ton of information out there; in fact you will hear many dedicated vegans who champion honey produced by small, local beekeepers. Alternatively, agave nectar is fantastic. It acts just like honey and personally, I think it tastes better. Good luck :)

Being vegan originally was about being ethical towards all the sentient beings who we share the Earth with.  It's come to mean a varying plethora of things to many people as it's been diluted over the last century. We now have a strange idea that we can be vegetarian and still eat chicken or fish for instance (never having met a vegetable animal I find this interesting to say the least). Simply put - any person who chooses to eat a diet that contains animal products is a vegetarian and not a vegan, and any person who chooses to eat anything that has a face and a central nervous system is an omnivore not a vegetarian if we're to use the strictest definition.

I can tell you this much, honey is the bees vomit and it is not meant for us to consume internally. Although, honey is excellent for external purposes, such as, wounds and skin.

Monique

www.easyvegetarian.blogspot.com

Just check out Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie! Isn't vegan about eating no animal by-product, products? At all?