OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHING “ANIMAL-FREE” AS A WIDELY USED CONSUMER-PRODUCTS DESCRIPTOR {Culture Shaping}
Compared to “Plant Based,” a term such as “Animal Free” would raise a whole other level of consideration when listed on a product, painting a much fuller picture of what it entails to make whatever it is. What’s wrong with “Plant Based”? Many in the vegan space already understand it does not necessarily mean “entirely made of plants.” Look close, and you’ll often find that many “plant based” products still contain animal ingredients – as they’re merely “based” on the wonderful green things. And while a term such as “vegan” leaves zero wiggle room as to whether the product it’s stamped upon is animal-free or not, it carries a lot of baggage, and could be doing more harm than good in an already divisive culture. So back to plant based. Our main issue with the term is that it doesn’t help connect the dots that animals, sentient beings just like ourselves, are actually part of the production. A term such as “animal free” makes us stop and think about the fellow thinking, feeling, intelligent animals used as “ingredients” in the Twinkie® we’re eating. Plus, the term “animal free” is more like established structures such as “gluten free” or “allergen free.” But in this case, it would mean free of the suffering and environmental devastation required to raise innocent animals just to be included in everything from glue to tires to wallets. Give us a choice between a can of paint with “animal free” on its label, and one without, and we’ll buy the “animal free” product any day.