What’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian?

The amount of people in the US switching to meat-free diets has been increasing in the last decade. Studies suggest that there hase been a 500% increase in the amount of people following vegan diets in the country with now 6% of consumers identifying as vegan. Polling suggests a further 5% of Americans are vegetarian.

The main difference between vegan and vegetarian diets is that vegans exclude all animal-derived products, while vegetarians exclude meat but may consume other animal products like milk and eggs.

The choice to be vegan or vegetarian is often based on ethical, environmental, health, or cultural considerations.

The differences in more detail

Vegetarians do not consume meat, which includes poultry, beef, pork, and other animal-made foodstuffs. However, some variations of vegetarianism exist:

Vegans, on the other hand, adopt a more restrictive diet. They exclude all animal-derived products, not just meat. This means they do not consume meat, dairy products, eggs, or any other products made from animals. Vegans also typically avoid non-food animal products like leather, wool, and products tested on animals.

Their diet is plant-based, and they rely on alternatives like plant-based milk, tofu, and other vegan substitutes for traditional animal-based foods. This has lead to a burgeoning market for meat-substitute products, with some estimates putting the size of the market at $35 billion by 2027.