As more people drink dairy milk alternatives, almond milk has become extremely popular. But is it vegan? Read on for why the answer is more complicated than you may think.
What is almond milk?
Almond milk is a type of plant-based drink that is made from almonds (unsurprising). Though seen as a popular new dairy-milk alternative, almond milk actually originated from the Islamic Middle East and has appeared in cookbooks since the 13th century. Almonds are soaked and then blended with water, and the mixture is strained leaving almond milk.
Is almond milk vegan?
As almond milk is made from seeds (yep, technically they are seeds, not nuts), they are in theory completely vegan, and as they are not generally not sweetened or altered with animal byproducts like honey, it is understood as vegan.
Why do some people think it isn’t vegan?
This has to do with the way almonds are produced; the recent popularity of almond products like almond milk has meant farmed bees are used to pollinate almond farms. As a result, some vegans may feel that almonds and almond products aren’t vegan since farming this way is seen as exploitative by them, and therefore don’t consider it to be vegan.
The bottom line is that naturally almond milk is indeed vegan, but it is up to the individual to decide how comfortable they are with the ethics of bee pollination for almonds.
Got any more questions for us? Let us know in the comments below!
