WHAT IS VEG*N?

Veg*n is shorthand for vegan and vegetarian together. It's an easy way to refer to us jointly. But we are different!

A vegan consumes no product derived from animals. Most vegans not only avoid animal-derived food such as meat, eggs, dairy and honey but leather, silk, wool and cosmetics with animal-based ingredients or tested on animals as well. Non-vegan ingredients can show up in some pretty surprising places--most white sugar is refined through bone char and many beers and wines are refined with a product derived from fish or through bone char. People who follow a vegan diet but wear leather, wool, or use down (for example) are often referred to as strict vegetarians.

A vegetarian typically just avoids eating meat and ingredients made from animal flesh (such as gelatin). This includes poultry and seafood! Additionally, many vegetarians do not eat cheeses curdled with animal-based rennet. Vegetarians do eat dairy and eggs (also referred to as lacto-ovo vegetarians). "Vegetarians" who eat fish are not vegetarians--they are pescetarians. And those who eat poultry are omnivores just like other people who eat a diet including both meat and vegetables, etc.