Is Consuming Honey Okay? Abhay Rangan tells us More

There is so much information about honey and why it's not vegan but this article is from a young vegan entrepreneur's perspective. Abhay Rangan of Veganarke runs a successful dairy-alternative company in Bengaluru and he's busting some myths, just in case you're still not convinced about honey!

If honey is derived naturally, what’s wrong with consuming it?

Let’s talk about ‘natural’. There is such a widespread misconception that just because something is natural (made by nature, not by humans), it is good for you. This is a type of logical fallacy called ‘Appeal to Nature’. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, a whole range of virus-borne ailments- all of these are natural. ‘Nature’ isn’t benevolent, or wise, or kind- animals kill each other to survive (thankfully, humans don’t have to kill other animals in order to survive), horrible diseases kill us all the time, natural disasters strike us often- and ALL of these are ‘natural’.

The fact that honey is ‘naturally made’ isn’t a reason to consume it. And here’s why.

The process of extraction hurts bees- in India, a fire is lit under the beehive, and the smoke suffocates the bees. The beehive is then broken down, crushing many bees in the process, and the enormous amounts of work the bees put in- to build their homes and gather honey – about 2 million flowers for a pound of honey- is treated with the same contempt that humans employ with almost every nonhuman animal on the planet.

Bees make honey as a means of storing food for colder seasons- and it’s unfair to rob them of their food, while killing many of them in the process. Bees who try to defend their homes by stinging the well-protected attackers die (bees die after they sting).

Well, are bees sentient?

You will be surprised – yes, very much! Bees possess a central nervous system and a simple brain, too. After primates, bees have one of the most complex languages out of any anima- called the Waggle dance. As Discover Magazine points out here, ‘In the darkness of the hive, bees manage to communicate the precise direction and distance of a newfound food source, and they do it all in the choreography of a dance. Scientists have known of the bee’s dance language for more than 70 years, and they have assembled a remarkably complete dictionary of its terms, but one fundamental question has stubbornly remained unanswered: How do they do it?’

Plenty of studies have been done on whether bees have feelings or not. You can check out some here.

They exist for their own needs and purposes. Our ability to understand them does not, in any way, determine their right to live free from suffering. All of us want to live free from pain. They matter, regardless of whether they produce honey or not. Someone’s right to live is not determined by how useful they are to someone else- the fact that they exist, and are sentient, gives them that right.

How do we co-exist with bees?

Bees are pollinators. They pollinate flowers (Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part of the flower. It is essentially plant reproduction and is considered one of the world’s most important pollinators of food crops.

Rapid urbanization and climate change has been killing bees, and other animals, at alarming rates. We owe it to the planet and all its habitants o make a conscious decision to explore what we can be doing to help minimizing our contribution to climate change and try living more sustainably. Propolis, beeswax, bee venom, royal jelly, etc also involve the use of bees.

Did you know bees are the most critical pollinators? They pollinate 70 of the around 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world!

Are there any alternatives to honey?

Honey is quite easily to substitute. Agave nectar tastes the closest to honey, although date syrup is more affordable and easily available in India.

Like This?

Read: Honey : Not As Bee-autiful As You Might Think!

Read More: Q & A: Is Honey Vegan Friendly?