Vegans do not eat meat, fish, poultry, etc., and also do not use animal products or their by-products.
So in addition to eating a plant-based diet, like vegetarians, you also don’t eat eggs or cheese, drink milk, or wear leather, etc.
Are Vaccines Vegan?
Since many vaccines contain some ingredients, like gelatin, that are derived from animals, they aren’t considered to be vegan.
Still, since there aren’t many vegan vaccines, it isn’t possible or practical to avoid getting vaccinated, so most vegans do seem to get their families vaccinated and protected against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Although people argue both ways, you should consider that:
- many medicines, like Tamiflu, aren’t vegan, so what happens if you get sick with a vaccine-preventable disease?
- many of the ingredients in vaccines that aren’t considered to be vegan are removed in final processing and aren’t present in the final vaccine, except in residual amounts
- vaccines save lives, both human lives and animal lives
- if you are not vaccinated and you get sick, you put others at risk for getting sick too
And mostly understand that just like people abuse religious exemptions and medical exemptions, many vegans don’t vaccinate solely because they are against vaccines.
Which Vaccines Are Vegan
So are any vaccines really vegan?
A newer flu vaccine, FluBlok uses insect cell lines and is grown in serum-free medium.
What To Know About Vaccines and Vegans
You can be vegan and feel comfortable about your decision to get your family vaccinated and protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. You can be a pro-vaccine vegan.
More About Vaccines and Vegans
- Anti-vax and Veganism – The Reasonable Vegan
- Veganism, Vaccines and Vitriol: why you should get your shots, even if you’re vegan
- Why You Should Vaccinate – The Vegan Biologist
- Do Vegan Kids get Vaccinated?
- Vegan Flu Shots: A Guide
- Growing Up Unvaccinated
- FDA approves a new flu vaccine – with no eggs
Updated January 23, 2019
Last Updated on April 6, 2024