When we talk about going vegan or the vegan diet, we’re usually talking about giving up meat and dairy, however, that’s not the be-all and end-all of veganism. At its core, being vegan is about living without cruelty to, or exploitation of animals, and that means more than just meat and dairy.

Leather shoes are off the table, as are eggs, some types of bread, and even some kinds of beer. The fact of the matter is that there are a number of products that don’t directly contain meat or dairy, but do include animal products or byproducts nonetheless and, unfortunately, that list does include honey.

How Honey Is Made

Now we all learned in school that honey is made by bees, and this is true. Bees collect pollen, take it back to the hive, and with a little work from every bee, honey is produced.

Setting aside the fact that bees make honey to feed their young, and that by taking this honey away bees have to work even harder to keep up, commercial beekeeping and local beekeeping are two very different practises.

The fact is that, as with almost all animal products, the larger the industry, the less care is given to animal welfare. If you’d rather not read about cruelty to animals then you may want to skip this next bit, because the facts about mass honey production can be a little hard to stomach.

Honey production is tied to the pollination of flowers and is, therefore, seasonal. During the winter, bees don’t produce honey, but they do need feeding, and it is not uncommon for keepers to cull colonies in order to save on money.

Furthermore, if they don’t leave enough honey to keep the colony going, those keepers who don’t just cull most of their bees at the end of the season have been known to give them sugar water which is, in practice, a poor replacement. Without honey, many bees will not develop a proper immune system and are therefore more likely to become infected by diseases.

The truth is that while we can debate the morality of local beekeepers, mass-market honey production is undeniably cruel to bees.

Possible Vegan Alternatives for Honey

Moving on to a lighter topic, there are some good alternatives to honey. In most recipes, when honey is called for, it’s usually as a sweetener, so in a lot of cases, plain old sugar will do the job. If you’re looking for something closer in texture, then Maple Syrup or Golden Syrup are by far your best options. Both are vegan, both are delicious, and both are golden and viscous, just like honey.

On the other hand, if you’re a die-hard honey fan, struggling to part with the sugary treat, then there are brands of vegan honey you can try. Vegan honey is often made from plant products such as dandelion, lemon, or even apples.

You’ll also be able to find plenty of recipes to make your own vegan honey if you fancy giving that a go.

Sadly, honey is not vegan, but, as incredible as bees are, humans can also be pretty cool when we put our minds to it. Vegan cooking has come a long way in the last few decades and with these alternatives, it’ll be easier than ever to say goodbye to honey.