Occasionally, people will come for me on Instagram for an item I post that that they don’t consider vegan. Sometimes they get so nasty that I unfortunately have to block them. I don’t like to censor anyone but when they cross the line and get personal, I have to take action. One of these hot button items is the Impossible Burger.
This controversy has been going on for a number of years. Basically, they made a decision to test on animals to get GRAS (generally regarded as safe) certified so that they could sell widely to restaurants and retailers. Without this certification they would be limited in where their products could be sold. You can Google many articles for and against their decision. While I understand both sides of the argument, my mission with Big Box Vegan has been about progress not perfection for veganism. I want to show people that it’s easy and affordable and that there are options everywhere. The fact is, people go vegan for many reasons and in my perfect world, everyone would be vegan and no products would involve animals in any way, but that is just not the world we live in — yet. My hope is it will be one day.
There are very few items that haven’t been tested on animals in the distant and not so distant past. Ingredients like pea protein used in Beyond Meat burgers to xanthan gum used in dressings and sauces are some examples. Hopefully this will not be the case one day and I hope to see it in my lifetime. I will also say I’m always willing to engage in a spirited debate and hear your thoughts but when you make it personal and resort to name calling and attacking my character, you will be blocked. I will not stand for bullying and we can agree to disagree without getting mean and unreasonable.
Remember, I’m doing this to help veganism and not hurt it. I want people to adopt the vegan lifestyle and to help them sometimes start that journey. I also spend a lot of time and effort on social media by posting and developing recipes. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t want to contribute in my own way. We need to be inclusive as vegans and help others with their choices and not judge them. Remember, you were most likely not born and raised vegan. You also probably shop at stores and eat at restaurants that are not fully vegan and the argument can be made that they contribute to animal suffering. My view is that the progress is important, but your choices are your own.
It’s not impossible to imagine a world where everyone will be vegan but we’re not there yet. In the meantime, be kind, be thoughtful and help others, don’t hurt them.
