What do you think – is honey vegan or not?

There is no one straight answer and the debates are ongoing…

To help you in this, you need to know how honey is produced!

Well, obviously honey is “produced” by honeybees! And is a form of sweet liquid extracted from flowers by bees using their long, tube-shaped tongue and is “stored” in their extra stomach called “crop” where it mixes with enzymes. This allows to transform the chemical composition and pH so that the sweet liquid can be stored for a longer period – that’s why honey can be stored indefinitely and has all the beneficial properties!

But continuing with the story of how is honey produced – so upon returning to the hives, honeybees pass the nectar to other bees through mouth – this is called regurgitating. Then the gooey liquid or honey is deposited in the honeycombs which are sealed with the beewax – a secretion from the honeybees’ stomach. Honey is then collected by the beekeeper and stored in pots.

A lot of jargon…  but gives you an idea of how honey is produced. If you think honey is an animal product – well let me say that it is not because it originates from flowers’ nectar. But it is true that it is combined with honey bees’ saliva. This combination gives honey its magical nutritional properties! And for sure honey is a product of the honeybees work!!!

Well in the end, according to the vegan definition, honey is not vegan…. But keep in mind – this product has magical nutritional properties and it’s worth including honey to your diet!