
Is Honey Vegan? Ethics, Ecosystems And Honey Laundering
Is honey vegan? The short answer is no. Honey is an animal product and therefore it is not vegan. The long answer is, well, very long.
The question of whether honey is vegan has sparked considerable debate within the vegan community and beyond. At its core, the issue revolves around speciesism, the treatment of bees and the role they play in ecosystems. Then there are the questions raised by the need for pollination and agriculture at large, as well as the implications of the fake honey industry.
What would it mean to remove honey from our diets and what are the currently available vegan-friendly alternatives? Let’s dive in.

What is Honey?
Honey is a sweet, viscous substance produced by bees from the nectar of flowers. Bees collect nectar, which they then transform through a process of digestion and evaporation to create honey. It is primarily composed of sugars, primarily fructose and glucose, along with small amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Honey has been used as a natural sweetener and for its health benefits for centuries, including soothing sore throats, fighting inflammation and acting as a natural antibacterial agent. Its flavor and color can vary depending on the types of flowers from which the nectar is sourced.

Here are some examples of honey varieties from around the world:
- Wildflower Honey: This honey is sourced from a variety of wildflowers, resulting in a diverse flavor profile that can vary greatly depending on the season and location.
- Manuka Honey: Produced from the nectar of the Manuka tree in New Zealand, it has a unique flavor and is known for its potential health benefits.
- Buckwheat Honey: Dark and robust, buckwheat honey is made from the nectar of buckwheat flowers. It has a strong flavor and is rich in antioxidants.
- Orange Blossom Honey: Made from the nectar of orange tree blossoms, this honey has a light, fruity flavor and a delicate aroma.
- Eucalyptus Honey: This honey has a distinctive flavor that varies based on the eucalyptus species. It can be herbal or slightly medicinal in taste.
- Lavender Honey: Sourced from lavender flowers, it has a floral, aromatic flavor that is quite unique and fragrant.
- Ohi’a Lehua: my personal favorite, this honey made with Hawai’i Island’s native tree pollen is exceptionally high in antioxidants.

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Bees As Sentient Beings
Are bees sentient beings? Without question. They are sentient, highly intelligent, conscious beings.
As Christof Koch so eloquently points out in his groundbreaking MIT Press essay Is Consciousness Everywhere?, “We might balk at the idea that tiny buzzing flies have experiences. … Yet honey bees can recognize faces, communicate the location and quality of food sources to their sisters via the waggle dance, and navigate complex mazes with the help of cues they store in short-term memory. A scent blown into a hive can trigger a return to the place where the bees previously encountered this odor, a type of associative memory.
Bees have collective decision-making skills that, in their efficiency, put any academic faculty committee to shame. This “wisdom of the crowd” phenomenon has been studied during swarming, when a queen and thousands of her workers split off from the main colony and chooses a new hive that must satisfy multiple demands crucial to group survival (think of that when you go house hunting). Bumble bees can even learn to use a tool after watching other bees use them.”

The Vegan Perspective on Honey
From a strict vegan viewpoint, honey is not considered vegan because it is an animal byproduct. Vegans avoid all forms of animal exploitation, and honey production involves the domestication and management of bees. Many commercial beekeeping practices can lead to stress for the bees, such as practices involving the culling of queens and artificial insemination. These practices raise ethical concerns about the welfare of bees, making honey a contentious issue for those committed to vegan principles.
As Peta points out on their website, “since the demand for the bees’ honey and other products remains high, these tiny animals are raised by industries, much like chickens, pigs and cows are.” They also highlight that profiting from honey requires “manipulation and exploitation of the insects’ desire to live and protect their hive. Like other factory-farmed animals, honeybees are victims of unnatural living conditions, genetic manipulation, and stressful transportation.”



Studies on the impacts of migration and the health of bees found that adult bees used in commercial honey production lived shorter lives and showed significant signs of oxidative stress. Moreover, both incidental and intentional bee deaths occur in industrial beekeeping. Even in the most gentle removal of the honeycombs, bees can get crushed or injured.
And then there is the issue of culling, i.e. segregation. Culling lower-quality queen bees benefits the reproduction of high-quality queens, and in commercial beekeeping, reproduction is crucial to the bottom line. Sometimes entire hives will be culled (and killed) in winter to keep costs down as it’s less expensive to start with new bees each season than it is to maintain the hives during colder months.

Colony Collapse Disorder
Vegans are also concerned with declining honeybee populations. In the last couple of decades globally, and especially in the US, bees have been dying off for no apparent reason—what’s known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). Colony Collapse Disorder is a phenomenon characterized by the sudden and unexplained disappearance of worker bees from a colony. The remaining bees are often found healthy, but the hive becomes unable to sustain itself without the workers.
It has been determined that the bees’ immunity had been compromised. One reason is that commercial farmers had been replacing the harvested honey with industrially-processed corn syrup for the bees to feed on which has harmed the bees on a massive scale. Without the naturally occurring compounds in honey that protect bees from both pesticides and pathogens, the bees were rendered helpless to these environmental factors.

Several other factors thought to contribute to CCD include:
- Pesticides: Certain chemicals, particularly neonicotinoids, have been linked to harmful effects on bee health and behavior.
- Pathogens: Bees can be infected by various parasites and diseases, including the Varroa mite, Nosema fungus, and viruses.
- Environmental Stressors: Habitat loss, poor nutrition due to a lack of diverse forage, and climate change can all negatively impact bee health.
- Management Practices: Poor beekeeping practices and stress from transportation can also play a role.
The decline in bee populations due to CCD raises significant concerns, as bees are crucial pollinators for many crops and wild plants. Their health is vital for biodiversity and agricultural productivity.

Responsible Beekeeping
We can clearly see that vegans have a point. Industrial honey production is far from cruelty free and is not exactly helping the environment, either. However, the honey debate is a lot more nuanced since not all honey production is done on an industrial scale.
In fact, we should be having two separate conversations. One about an industry that’s not only harmful to the bees but which also stocks our shelves with adulterated honey full of high fructose corn syrup detrimental to our health (see honey laundering below).
On the other hand, we need to be talking about a pro-environmental movement that’s beneficial to the growth of local bee populations and habitats, which in turn produces one of the Earth’s top healing and anti-inflammatory superfoods.

Indeed, responsible beekeeping can benefit bee populations. Certain small scale beekeepers advocate for ethical practices that prioritize the health and well-being of the bees, claiming that these methods do not harm the bees and may even support their populations through habitat management.
For many ethical beekeepers, the harvest only happens in spring after the bees have already eaten what they needed during winter. The small-scale honey industry not only provides bees natural immunity by leaving the honey intact. It also helps promote biodiversity among wild bees and helps restore the bee population devastated by CCD.

The Role of Bees in Ecosystems
Perhaps the most sobering reminder comes from this small scale beekeeper who reminds us: “the critical point here is that plant pollination is the main reason that commercial beekeeping exists. Honey is a by-product that benefits the beekeepers that situate their colonies near crops. Without the pollination efforts of commercial honeybees, our supermarkets and kitchen cupboards would be empty of many foods.” We’ll get to whether produce such as avocados and almonds is cruelty free in a bit.
Regardless of one’s stance on honey, the importance of bees to global ecosystems cannot be overstated. Bees are crucial pollinators for many plants, including a significant portion of the crops that humans rely on for food. An estimated one-third of the food we consume is dependent on pollinators, primarily bees. They play a vital role in the reproduction of flowering plants, contributing to biodiversity and the health of ecosystems.



Bees need our help particularly in urban areas. Around global big cities there’s a growing trend to install beehives in some of the most random locations such as parking garages and rooftops. Even hotels are getting involved, in an attempt to boost their social responsibility and sustainability score. Read more about it in my piece Bee Sustainable — How Independent Hotels Create Eco Buzz By Beekeeping.
Lavender Honey – A Case Study
Having just returned from the magnificent lavender fields of Provence, that part of the world and its perspective on beekeeping seems closest to my heart. It is a fascinating case study. Once again, the French demonstrate what it means to have a balanced approach to food and its origin.

The endless rows of vibrant lavender fields, their fragrance filling the air, with bees busy traveling from flower to flower. It isn’t just a sight to behold. It’s a symbiotic relationship that results in one of nature’s most delightful and healthful products—lavender honey.
Provence is renowned for its stunning lavender fields. The combination of the Mediterranean climate and the region’s unique terroir (the French use this term for honey as much as wine or coffee) creates the perfect environment for growing high-quality lavender.

The Perfect Symbiosis
Lavender fields and honey bees are a match made in heaven. The relationship is a great example of mutualism, a type of symbiotic relationship where both parties benefit. Here’s how:
- Pollination: Bees are attracted to lavender flowers for their nectar and pollen. As bees collect nectar to make honey and gather pollen for their larvae, they inadvertently pollinate the lavender plants. This helps the plants reproduce and produce seeds.
- Food Source: In return, lavender provides bees with a rich source of nectar, especially during the summer months when lavender is in full bloom. This abundance of food supports the health and growth of bee colonies.
- Ecosystem Health: The presence of bees helps maintain the biodiversity of the area. Healthy bee populations can lead to more diverse plant life, which benefits the entire ecosystem.



Overall, this relationship enhances both lavender cultivation and bee populations, highlighting the importance of conserving both pollinators and flowering plants. The beekeepers of Provence collect just enough honey to keep it sustainable and leave the rest for the bees.
This of course results in premium prices. Perhaps that’s the secret to honey’s long term sustainability. Elevating it to the status of a premium product, paying accordingly and avoiding the inferior or counterfeit “blends”.

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Honey Laundering
Speaking of counterfeit blends, honey happens to be America’s third most commonly faked foods (right behind olive oil and milk). Back in 2013, the “Honeygate” was the biggest incident of food fraud in US history. Honey laundering refers to the practice of mislabeling honey to disguise its true origin or composition. This can involve several methods to pass off inferior or counterfeit honey as premium or pure.
Honey imported from overseas (aka the vast majority) is often adulterated by having sugars added to it or by being cleaned, heated, or filtered which eliminates the beneficial enzymes and anti-inflammatory compounds. It is then blended with small amounts of genuine honey until the sticky substance is uniform. In some cases, artificial flavorings may be added to honey to enhance its taste. Especially if the raw honey lacks the desired flavor profile.

Honey is being imported from countries with lax regulations regarding quality and authenticity (notably China), then relabeled as local or high-quality honey. Some of them bear misleading certifications or claims about being locally produced, organic or raw, even when they do not meet those standards.
Essentially, what was the ultimate healing food for your great grandparents, today is no different in terms of health benefits than ordinary cane sugar. Except it’s misleading and priced as a premium product.

The Beekeepers’ Struggle
Here’s why honey laundering matters for the bees. Adulteration within the industry is driving global honey prices down. This leaves beekeepers barely able to sell their honey for a profit. According to Vice:
“As beekeepers encounter growing environmental struggles to keep their bees alive, one of the major ways they make money—selling honey—is no longer supporting them. Bees do more than just make honey; they perform a vital role in pollinating the food we eat. Usually, beekeepers split their time between pollination and honey producing.

With honey prices so low, they’re having to focus more of their energies on pollination, which puts bees at higher risk—they have to travel more, be exposed to other colonies and potentially new diseases, and eat largely the same foods, all which negatively impacts their health.”
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Wild Bee Vs Honey Bee
To make matters even more complicated, some researchers claim that we’re all worrying about the wrong bee altogether. Should we be paying more attention to wild bees instead of honey bees? What’s the difference?

As one scientist told NPR, “healthy environment needs bees — but not honeybees. … The way we’re managing honeybees has nothing to do with nature conservation.” The article goes on to point out that “honeybee hives aren’t natural, and they don’t help the environment. In fact, they may harm it.
There are thousands of bee species, almost all of them wild. They play a vital role in the ecosystem, pollinating flowering plants. Many are in danger of disappearing. And then there’s the honeybee. Originally imported from Europe, raised and managed by beekeepers in order to make honey or to pollinate crops like almonds. It’s an agricultural animal, in the same way that sheep and cattle are.

When flowers are abundant, there is plenty of pollen for both honeybees and their wild cousins. But in many landscapes, or when an orchard stops blooming, farmed honeybees can compete with wild bees for food, making it harder for wild species to survive.”
The Case Against Almonds
This is where the vegan debate gets truly heated. Many people, some vegans included, argue that abstaining from honey for animal rights reasons implies that vegans also should not eat crops like almonds and avocados, which wouldn’t exist in their commercial form without the labor of bees.

Notably, California’s giant almond industry places bees in a monoculture where growers expect the bees to be predictably productive year after year. In the article aptly titled “It’s like sending bees to war”, The Guardian points out:
“Commercial honeybees are considered livestock by the US Department of Agriculture because of their vital role in food production. But no other class of livestock comes close to the scorched-earth circumstances that commercial honeybees face. More bees die every year in the US than all other fish and animals raised for slaughter combined.” And they are talking about our almonds, avocados and squash here, not merely honey.



The average American eats 2lb of almonds every year, more than in any other country. US almond milk sales have grown 250% over the past five years. It recently reached $1.2bn, over four times that of any other plant-based milk. And these enormous almond orchards can’t function without bees.
Where do vegans stand on this issue? While almonds aren’t an animal product, are they at this point perhaps a by-product? Is it a situation comparable to silk production? While almond milk is technically vegan, is is cruelty-free? Food for thought.

Why Do Some Vegans Eat Honey?
Some vegans choose to eat honey for various reasons, often depending on their interpretation of veganism. Many believe that, given the inextricable relationship between bees and numerous plant-based foods, eating honey does indeed align with vegan values.
Here are a few perspectives:
- Ethical Considerations: Some believe that beekeeping can be done sustainably and ethically. They argue that it doesn’t harm bees significantly and can actually support their populations. In addition, produce (aka the bulk of vegan grocerise) grown using pesticides contributes to the killing of insects. It’s difficult to know exactly what creatures may have been harmed in your latest plant-based meal.
- Nutritional Value: Honey is sometimes viewed as a natural sweetener with health benefits, which can appeal to those prioritizing a whole-foods diet. As a matter of fact, real honey is one of the most anti-inflammatory foods on the planet. It even has the potency to heal wounds and kill bacteria. In many cultures, honey has been traditionally used for medicinal or culinary purposes, influencing individual dietary choices.
- Flexibility in Diet: Some people identify as “plant-based” rather than strictly vegan. The focus more on minimizing harm rather than adhering to strict dietary rules. Concern over honey makes veganism seem like an impossible standard to maintain. This in turn discourages people who may otherwise be curious about the vegan diet.

Ultimately, it’s a personal decision based on one’s beliefs and values regarding animal welfare, sustainability, and nutrition. Some even argue that the honey debate distracts from the bigger and more burning animal rights issues.
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Vegan Honey Alternatives
In recent years, the demand for vegan-friendly honey options has grown exponentially. We have seen the emergence of several brands and alternatives that cater to those avoiding animal products. Here’s a brief overview:

Vegan Honey Brands:
- Bee-Free Honee: Made from apples, this vegan honey by Blenditup mimics the taste and consistency of honey, making it a popular choice among vegans.
- Coconut Honey: Open Coconut offers plant-based honey alternative made from coconut nectar.
- Mellody: An award winning plant-based alternative that captures the sweetness and flavor profile of traditional honey, made from fruit and other natural ingredients.
- Choc Zero Honey: Specializing in organic and plant-based honey substitutes, Choc Zero focuses on making sugar-free honey that’s both keto friendly and vegan.



Vegan Honey Subsititues:
- Agave Syrup: A popular substitute, agave syrup is derived from the agave plant and offers a similar sweetness and viscosity.
- Maple Syrup: While it has a distinct flavor, maple syrup is a versatile and natural sweetener. It can easily be a substitute for honey in many recipes.
- Date Syrup: Made from dates, this syrup is rich in nutrients and has a caramel-like sweetness.
- Brown Rice Syrup: A less sweet alternative made from fermented brown rice, it works well in baking.
These brands and alternatives provide a variety of options for those seeking to enjoy the sweetness of honey while adhering to a vegan lifestyle. Whether used in cooking, baking, or as a topping, these products help satisfy cravings without compromising principles.

What If We Stopped Producing and Eating Honey?
Admittedly, the vegan honey offerings are tempting and we’re spoiled for choice. Without question, we should replace the inexpensive commercially produced honey with vegan alternatives. Nonetheless, if (the sustainable) honey production was to cease entirely, the consequences could be multifaceted:
- Impact on Beekeeping Practices: Without demand for honey, many commercial beekeepers might abandon their hives. This would lead to a decline in managed bee populations. This decline could adversely affect pollination services, which rely on healthy bee populations to function effectively.
- Biodiversity Threats: A decrease in bee populations could threaten plant species that depend on these insects for reproduction. This would not only reduce biodiversity but could also impact entire ecosystems. Plants play critical roles in soil health, water cycles, and as food sources for various animals.
- Food Supply Consequences: The agricultural sector heavily relies on bees for the pollination of many fruits, vegetables, and nuts. A decline in bee populations could lead to reduced crop yields. As a result we may see increased food prices, and even food shortages, affecting global food security.
- Shift in Agricultural Practices: Farmers may be forced to adopt alternative pollination methods, such as using other pollinators or mechanized systems. These alternatives can be less effective and more costly, further impacting food production and long term sustainability.
- Increased Pesticide Use: In the absence of bees, farmers might resort to more intensive chemical interventions to manage crops. This could potentially lead to greater environmental degradation and harming of other beneficial insects and wildlife.

Is Honey Vegan? Finding a Middle Ground
The question of honey and veganism invites a broader conversation about food ethics, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. For those who choose to avoid honey, alternatives such as agave syrup, maple syrup, and fruit-based sweeteners offer viable options.
While honey isn’t technically vegan, we cannot throw all honey production to the same box. Yes, we should avoid industrially produced honey at all costs. That said, supporting local, sustainable beekeepers who prioritize bee (and human) health can be a way to enjoy honey while promoting ecological balance.

Honey may not align with strict vegan principles, but the broader implications of honey production on ecosystems and food security reveal the interconnectedness of our choices. Not all vegan food is simultaneously cruelty free, as we have seen in the case of almonds.
The bottom line is, we need to stay compassionate towards each other’s choices and willing to have an educated, nonjudgemental debate.
Understanding the ecological dynamics – and each other – can guide us toward more ethical and sustainable practices that honor our health, the health of our planet and animal welfare alike.

Images: Unsplash
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