Can I give homemade raspberry jam to a vegan friend?

[Secretsquirrelshh]

Interesting ethical question. Our raspberries in our garden have done well this year. I always soak them before freezing them and then making jam when I have enough.

Sometimes when I'm soaking them, tiny white wriggly insects come out - I'm assuming some sort of fruit fly larvae, and I don't expect for a second every single larva is out (but it makes me feel better that I've done something rather than nothing). I think I accept that there will probably be a few larvae and it's best just not to think about it too much.

I was planning on giving a jar of my raspberry jam to my vegan friend, but can I do this in good conscience, knowing that there may be a little bit of insect protein in there?

A vegan friend of mine wouldn't eat figs from the tree because of the chance of ingesting the tiny (harmless) worms that can be found in them.

If in doubt, ask.

My mum usef to soak berries in salted water then rinse them

That is true but I understand it’s for slightly different reasons - unlike raspberries, some varieties of fig essentially rely on insects for pollination and the insects get trapped in the fig and die as part of that process. That’s not quite the same as just “infestation”, it’s an intrinsic part of the process. So figs are a “special case” for some more purist vegans

You don’t put gelatine in jam

Is “no gelatine in jam” the new “cancel the cheque”?

I'm vegetarian if you want to send me some of your jam I can give it a taste test before you give it to anyone else 😉

Enzymes in the fig 'digest' the wasp and it's corpse is essentially absorbed into the fig.

I'm a meat eater but if you told me you saw something like maggots in your raspberries I would lose my appetite instantly

Well, yes, which is the crux of the ethical dilemma. Most of us understand parts of insects are likely in most jams. Most of us don't want to think about it too closely.

But my question was around whether or not there's an ethical responsibility to tell a vegan.

One theory is... If honey isnt vegan, then Avocados are not either... Where, then do you draw the line in order to eat?

In order to produce avocados and also lots of other fruits such as almonds, blueberries, apples, cherries, plums, alfalfa, for example, the practice of migratory beekeeping is used because it is necessary.
Basically, a hive of bees is transported across fair distances and many bees die in trasit....

Surely, if it is deemed wrong or immoral to eat the product of a bee such as honey, then the same standard should be held for avocadoes and other fruits and vegetables...

But then what would anyone eat?

(Sorry if it offends but I am not vegan.)