Question for those who are vegan for ethical reasons?

Question

Do you make your consumer choices in a way that only prevents yourself from consuming (or using) products that have animal/animal by-products in them, or do you try to avoid companies all together who have product lines that are not vegan?

I know everyone is different and has their personal reasons for being vegan, but I am wondering if it is okay for animals to be slaughtered for food and clothing, as long as you do not participate?

I ask because I was looking into a lot of the vegan products that are out there on the market today, and most of them are owned by larger companies (like Kraft) who are not vegan at all ... and I was wondering if there are vegans who will not purchase from such companies as they don't want their money going to those types of companies .. as even if you buy their vegan products, you are still basically supporting them.

This is all very wordy and I am not sure I have even expressed what I am curious about. I am not trying to start a debate or anything ... do you not mind that animals are used as long as you do not use them, or do you mind so much that you would avoid any company that uses animals in any of their lines?

Like .. would you buy a veggie plate at KFC if they offered it?

Answer 1

I don't wear anything that comes from animals like fur and leather.  I don't use anything that has been tested on animals.  I don't avoid places that serve meat because I did there wouldn't be many places for me to eat.  That is like not getting my food from the supermarket because they sell meat and fish.  If I can get vegan food from a fast food restaurant then I have no problem getting it there.  I don't agree with animals getting slaughtered for any reason.  You can't prevent animals from being used for meat.  People are cruel and you can't change the world but you are making a different if you are a vegan/vegetarian.

Answer 2

I really like this question because it's a challenging one that everyone who consumes anything really should consider. There are even investment funds that strive to only invest in ethical companies, since one could argue that even in our retirement funds, we should be aware of what those companies are doing with our money.

While I've been a vegetarian since I was about 10 years old, even when I was still consuming milk and eggs (I'm a vegan now), I did not want anything made of leather and fur was completely out of the picture. At that time it was harder to find shoes, purses, etc. that didn't look silly, but today it's much easier.

I do mind that animals are being used by companies, and ideally, I would like to only support companies that don't use animals in any area of their business. It can be challenging to be educated enough to be a smart consumer, so I don't beat myself up if I find that a company isn't what I thought it was. The point is to try - to be conscious about what we consume, whether it's food or not. For me, the bottom line is to try to ease the burden of suffering on all the living creatures on the planet. I may not be perfect, but I am trying to do my best.

Answer 3

no I boycott KFC and I do not buy anything from company's that have any line of product that hurts animals or uses animals in it I have gotten rid of my bad products and only buy good ones hope this helped  

Answer 4

just waiting to see the answer..good question though...im becoming a vegetarian and i would like to know

Answer 5

I'm a vegan. Over the time i realize that being a rigid vegan is too taxing the friend/relatives. I learned to stop-by at KFC I give them great deal... spend them for "veggie-like" food and eat there. But at home, i had never compromised the nutrition and taste of REAL vegan cuisine for them!

There are 3 stages advocating veganism and evolve further:

1) Physical stage

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Totally plant product, but would not mind to faux meat.

One may go to any shop and ask them to prepare "veggie-like" food if they could.

"Cold-turkey".

2) Emotional stage

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Totally plant product, but NO faux meat.

Emphasize too much on the "purity" and ingredient of vegan product.

Love and compassion to all living creatures.

Non-violence.

3) Intellectual stage

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Particularly for veg*n shop/outlets only. Yes, Everyone by doing so, more demand for veg*n product enable “switch” for many seller, retailer and vendor towards veg*n products eventually. This is how the real commerce works.

Nutrition & Heath conscious.

World Issue, Resources, Poverty, Famine.

Ecosystem & biodiversity.

Link between Animal-Human violence.

One may at the border line to raw veg*n.

Answer 6

Those are the hard questions you have to answer for yourself.  On one side of the argument is the fact that you're lining the pockets of companies that profit from cruelty.  On the other hand, you're helping to create and maintain a market for vegan products; if none of us buy those, they will no longer exist.

Personally, I try to avoid Big Food - the companies that control so much of what and how we eat - as much as possible.  I'm certainly not always successful, but every time I don't buy something from Con Agra, I can buy a similar product from a company I feel better about.  I'd skip a company like KFC that primarily makes its profit from dead animals, but a more diversified company might make me less uncomfortable.

It's next to impossible to avoid any and all companies that use animals in any capacity.  You do the best you can every day.

Answer 7

I boycott KFC because of their needless and relentless cruelty. I also choose not to wear leather or fur and don't use products that have been tested on animals. When buying a product i will always choose the company that i think is the most ethical. For example i buy all my toiletries from Lush because all their products are vegetarian and many are vegan (and clearly labeled as vegan) and none of their products are tested on animals, neither are the ingredients used in the products and they don't deal with third parties that conduct animal tests. However i think it is nearly impossible to avoided companies that use animal products in all areas of my life. I think that as consumers we can send companies a strong message by only buying products that are animal friendly and therefore encouraging companies to improve their treatment of animals. For example don't you think that if cosmetics companies, that tested on animals, profits fell dramatically because of consumers buying from more ethical companies they would change their policies? Also by buying vegan products from not vegan companies you are sending the message that you prefer these products and encourage companies to make more vegan products. x*x