Industrial Vegan: What Is It? ABC’s The Hustler recently coined a new term that has everyone up in arms, and honestly, kind of confused. There were some people who got irritated when the wide array of dietary preferences came into the mainstream light.
Those people can be ready to be even more annoyed again as we are already familiar with pescatarian diets, vegetarian diets, and vegan diets, and now it is time for them to get familiar with industrial vegans as well.
So what is it? What is an industrial vegan? They are still vegan, but not in the same way, they choose what they eat based on the ethical standing of the animals’ upbringing.
What Is Industrial Vegan?
To define it, an industrial vegan is someone who will openly consume animal products, but only if they were not industrially farmed and raised. You should say that they only indulge in animal products, sourced from animals that were not unethically farmed.
A person like this may never buy meat or dairy products from a supermarket but might support an independent local farm by buying meats and dairy from them.
They might never buy leather products from mainstream sellers, but perhaps might buy from an independent seller who sources their leather in a way that is ethical- i.e. after that animal has naturally passed away.
So whats industrial vegan?
Well, this new term is something that might apply to those who have decided that locally sourced, free-range, and organic foods is the way to go and to simply turn their backs on the large corporations that indulge in unethical mass-farming.
Many people are choosing to switch to this way of eating, after the shocking reality of animal treatment on farms has come to light.
What Does Industrial Vegan Mean?
Industrial vegan means not eating the food that comes from animals who have been industrially raised and farmed. However, they may still indulge in animal products that have not been produced this way.
That being said, the truth is that there have been many investigations into the conditions for the animals in these ‘ethical’ environments, and the truth is that they are not always what they say they are.
While some places might be better for the animals, not all are, and some can still be distressing for the animals.
What Does An Industrial Vegan Eat?
An industrial vegan might eat a burger, but not that is sourced from an industrial farming setting, so they aren’t getting their patties from Walmart, but they may get them from a local farm.
They might eat chicken, but not one they picked up from Target, or even from the butchers market, they will check that the source of the meat is an ethical or ‘free-range setting’.
There is no denying that free-range ‘ethical’ meats do taste better than industrially farmed meats do, they aren’t pumped with water or chemicals, and laced with god knows what ridiculous preservatives.
However, to say that these ‘tastier’ meat-providing animals are living happy lives is still disputed. There are still possibilities that these animals are living in more stressful situations than they should be.
In comparison to industrial farming, it might be MORE ethical, but that is not to say that it is 100% ethical. There is a big difference.
What Is the Difference Between A Vegan And An Ethical Vegan?
Ethical vegans are vegans, they are vegans who go even further to exclude, as far as is humanly possible in this day and age, all the possible forms of exploitation or cruelty of any animal for food, clothing, medicines, cosmetics, and so on.
This means that an ethical vegan would not consume food or drink containing animal products as is true of other vegans, however, they would also avoid leather, silk, wool, and so on, which are made from animal products or that may have been tested on animals.
This is in contrast to a dietary vegan who would focus primarily on the food and drink-based products that come from animals, including honey, dairy products, or anything that includes insects such as some food coloring
Nowadays, more vegans do fall into the category of being ethical vegans than just dietary vegans, however, there are many types of veganism, and for many the type of veganism they choose heavily depends on the lifestyle choices available to them.
For some dietary vegans, this diet may be more of a focus on health reasons than animal rights, and for some ethical vegans, they started off as dietary vegans for health reasons and their veganism grew after some time.
Is An Industrial Vegan Actually Vegan?
Yes and no. It is hard to say and really veganism is a concept, as is any diet or human idea. So, it depends on your outlook. If an industrial vegan does eat animals, then technically no, they are not vegan.
It is very much on how you view veganism, and what your definition of being vegan is. Personally, I don’t think that being an industrial vegan is vegan at all. You eat animals, you are not a vegan in my opinion, but hey!
Can You Be Vegan And Still Consume Animal Products?
By definition, vegan diets exclude all animal products and meats, including; eggs, seafood, poultry, dairy, meat, and so on. So, strictly speaking, you cannot be vegan and consume animal products. Not really.
The Hustler Industrial Vegan
Who is the person who brought this to light on ABC? Who is the industrial vegan hustler? Well, the show is hosted by Craig Ferguson, he questioned the meaning of the term on his game show and since then, it’s all anyone can talk about.
He is the man who started us all questioning the levels of veganism!
What Are The 4 Types Of Vegans?
There are 4 types of vegans that can be noted.
- Ethical Vegans
- Health Vegans
- Environmental Vegans.
- Religious Vegans
Obviously, religious vegan sticks to their veganism due to reasons associated with their faith. A healthy vegan will stick to their veganism for their own health and wellbeing.
Ethical vegans will choose veganism because of the animal cruelty that is prominent in the food production industry, and environmental vegans will choose veganism because of how animal farming has contributed to the dire climate crisis we currently face.
Needless to say, industrial vegans aren’t on this list, but should they be? What do you think?
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