Revision as of 16:13, 25 August 2023

A common concern from new Vegans comes down to the issue of whether or not Vegans should be buying otherwise Vegan options from otherwise non-Vegan companies, whether it's from a restaurant, a grocery store, or a Vegan brand owned by a massive food conglomerate. It comes down to thinking that since the parent company engages in animal agriculture

When NOT to buy from non-Vegan companies with Vegan options

There are often exceptions to every rule. While 95% of purchases of Vegan options will result in some sort of net-positive, there are times where buying from a non-Vegan company, even if they have dedicated Vegan options, is a bad idea.

The biggest offenders are companies that started out Vegan and stayed Vegan for a while but then decided that it wasn't lucrative enough and gave in by adding non-Vegan options to their product listing (often in the form of dairy or eggs). They'll lather it with some nonsense about how they're still going to make it "humane" and "sustainable" even though animal products (especially "humane" ones) are not sustainable, and these industries are still prone to massive abuses to these animals regardless of how ethical they try to make it.

Companies such as Cosmic Bliss (formerly Coconut Bliss), a once Vegan ice cream company, decided to stop being 100% Vegan and added various ice creams made from cow's milk, which was met with a considerable backlash. The best option for a company like this is to boycott them entirely, and message them saying you're disappointed with their change in direction, and will not buy from them again until they go back to being a Vegan company.

The difference between a company like Cosmic Bliss and other non-Vegan companies is that Cosmic Bliss took a calculated and deliberate step back, and should therefore be punished appropriately for their business conduct. Other companies that make efforts to add more Vegan options on the other hand are taking steps forward, and should be rewarded with their progress with patronage from Vegans, and others looking to eat less animal products.

Another example of companies that should be boycotted is a company such as Lightlife, which is owned by Maple Leaf Foods, though the brand itself is 100% vegan. While they haven't made any non-Vegan foods, back in 2020 the company did a huge campaign intentionally calling out leading Vegan brands Impossible and Beyond, labeling them as "unnatural" and "genetically modified." Aside from promoting anti-science nonsense and spreading the idea that these technologies (that have been immensely useful for improving food security) are dangerous, they're trying to scare people off of two of the biggest brand names in Vegan meats, both of which have brought about amazing changes to the industry and have gotten people to eat much less meat. Seemingly, this was done by LightLife to promote their new Vegan burger (which has since been discontinued as of 2022 LOL!!!) and compete in the market, and while more mock meats competing is certainly a good thing (to give people more options), brands shouldn't directly call out others in their advertising, unless there's damn good reason to do so.

Finally, and a much more applicable example, you should try your best to avoid going to to eat as restaurants that don't have any significant Vegan options aside from side dishes like fries and potatoes. This is discussed more in our article discussing eating out as a Vegan.

If you don't really have any other options aside from these companies, then buying from them isn't as big of a deal, but if your local supermarkets stock plenty of other brands with Vegan bacon and ice creams, or if there are other restaurants in your area with real Vegan options, you should buy from them instead.