Farm Babe: Sorry, But There’s No Such Thing as Vegan
By Michelle Miller, The Farm Babe
When you think of the word “vegan,” what do you think of?
You might imagine someone who doesn’t eat animals or consume other foods related to animals (like milk, honey, or eggs). But often being vegan extends to other lifestyle choices, too, like not wanting to wear leather, fur, or wool, and wanting to avoid animal-related products all together, including soaps and other hygiene items. Maybe they purposely look for products that supposedly weren’t tested on animals, like PETA’s “Cruelty Free” label.
But did you know that when it comes to medicines, cosmetics, etc., pretty much all products were researched and/or tested on animals at one point? Virtually everything needs to be tested for safety, and what if something goes wrong? Humans aren’t exactly volunteering their loved ones to be part of a science experiment, right? And that’s what it’s about — science. A label can say “not tested on animals” with a particular product, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that at one point it was, even if that research happened years ago. Dr. Cindy Buckmaster from the Baylor College of Medicine is a great person to learn more from on this subject as an expert on animal research/testing. She talks about the differences and importance here.