Do You Say Plant Based or Vegan?

Aug 26

It all started with someone asking a harmless question on Threads, “Why is it called Just Egg when there are no eggs in it at all?”

I always took it to be a little tongue in cheek comment that these were “just” eggs, as in what is morally right. The bottle itself says “plant based” right on the front and every vegan I know is aware they exist, and yet I’ve had grocery store staff tell me they thought it was just a bottle of eggs for people who were too lazy to crack their own.

The conversation continued with someone telling me that “plant based” and “vegan” aren’t the same thing. That plant based could include meat, dairy, and eggs. Um… what?

I posed the same question on multiple social media accounts and the same pattern emerged. Vegans & vegetarians all were unanimous that the diet portion of being vegan or plant based were the same. And the meat eaters said it just meant you were trying to eat more vegetables.

And yet, I’ve seen other signs of this misuse of the term “plant based” as well. Perhaps people are confusing it with the famous Michael Pollan advice, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Though if I’m being honest I think we’re seeing a little bit of the vegan version of greenwashing happening. Companies and restaurants know that people want to be plant based, so they’re slapping that unregulated label on things.

*On Threads I did a poll to see what people thought the term “plant based” meant, this was the result.*

It doesn’t help that within the vegan community there is a group that identifies as “WFPB” or whole foods plant based. They differentiate themselves by not eating processed food but only plants in whole forms. Those that I’ve met often refer to me as a “junk food vegan” because I like Beyond Meat burgers. And pizza. And chocolate. Personally I don’t feel that we should be attaching morality to food and making others feel like they’re being bad vegans for enjoying burgers.

On the flip side there have been people who get very mad at me for calling myself a vegan when the reason I went vegan was for health not animals. It’s a lot of people. A lot of very angry people who say terrible things and end up on my block list. These people tell me that to call yourself a vegan you must adhere to a strict moral code of not wearing or using animal products, advocating for animal welfare, and primarily be a vegan for animals. They say that I should only call myself “plant based”.

This has been a common understanding in the veggie community for a long time. Plant based and vegan diets are the same, but vegans have a larger moral component.

But it’s not that cut and dry. I have friends who don’t eat animal products and don’t wear or use animal products, but they don’t want to call themselves vegan because of the negative stereotypes. I also know people, like myself, who call themselves vegan but still own leather goods because in the long run plastic isn’t good for the environment. Or they have honey from time to time.

To make matters more complicated there’s also the allergy factor. I am allergic to dairy and eggs. When I go to a restaurant I will tell them “I’m vegan” because I don’t want there to be any confusion around the term plant based and what will and won’t make me sick. I know other people who will request vegan food for the same reason.

For all the in-fighting that happens in the veggie world the one thing we all seem to agree on is whether you say plant based or vegan you aren’t eating meat, dairy, fish, or eggs. Ultimately if the term originated in the veggie community, shouldn’t it be up to us to define it?