Do vegans eat palm oil?

[WhaleofaThyme]

Just that really. Where do people draw the line on veganism and is there perhaps ways to eat which are more sustainable but may involve animals dying in a sustainable way?

Some do. Some don’t.

I am not vegan but rarely eat meat, DH is veggie and toddler is dairy free so I often frequent vegan social media groups.

There are sustainable alternatives to palm oil that don’t contain meat.

People are vegan for different reasons, personal and religious beliefs which sometimes include the impact on the plant but not always.

Vegans aren't a homogeneous group.

Palm oil is vegan but lots of non vegans avoid palm oil for environmental reasons. I'm sure many vegans do as well.

Why do you ask? Are you planning to host a vegan and wish to use palm oil?

Or is it one of those posts which just try and sneer at some people's dietary choices by saying "but what about the plastic/orangutans/inequality/first world issues"?

Contentious issue. It’s not an animal product so yes it’s vegan. Some vegans choose not to eat it for ethical reasons. Some non-vegans also don’t eat it for ethical reasons.

Not trying to sneer anyone; just curious about where the line is drawn with the harm to animals stance and wanted some different opinions.

Palms are not animals. Lots of people don't like palm oil because of the taste, same of it is unethically sourced etc. But it is very much vegan.

The line for vegans is using animals to produce consumables. Harm doesn't come in to it on a general blanket statement vegan level.

Vegan or not, we should all be wanting the use of palm oil to be sustainable.

I am not quite a vegan as I sometimes drop back to vegetarian when eating away from home (depending on the availability of decent vegan options) and I still eat honey occasionally, but I try hard to avoid palm oil.

Well, palm oil is vegan as it doesn’t have animal products in. Some vegans may not use products with palm oil given its environmental impact. The fact is that palm oil is used in so many products including farm animal feed, so if a vegan does not avoid palm oil, they’re still not going to be consuming as much as meat eaters.

Palm oil does cause harm because of deforestation and destruction of habitats (particularly orangutans). I am no expert, but that’s my understanding of it.

Some do, but some don't.

I have a Vegan friend who will generally avoid it, but doesn't have an objection if it is responsibly sourced.