Are American Pommegranates Vegan?

[Fallen_Horse]

Every medicine you have ever used had previously been built using animal testing. I imagine most of the food additives, colorings, and flavorings have at one point been tested on animals, even the 'natural' ones. There is no way to escape all products whose companies have at one point tested on animals, or even the products themselves. All we can do is boycott companies who currently test on animals, and boycott their animal ingredients...

[beforewisdom]

FH, I am well aware of the philosophy of Matt Ball via Vegan Outreach and I even think it has merit. I also have my own approach and that is one of doing what I can when it is practical.

POM experimented on animals for no need. They only sell one product: pomegranates and pomegranate juice.

It is practical and easy for me to avoid POM's sole product, so that is why I considered avoiding it.

I believe that boycotts become less effective when people compromise on them, so that is why I asked X to explain why he could eat a vegan diet as a consumer boycott, yet not stay with it at the same time.......as that kind of thing would sabotage his own efforts.

It was a non-nasty, academic point for me as I personally don't believe in the effectiveness of eating a vegan diet as a consumer boycott.

[xrodolfox]

I made a mistake.

My veganism IS NOT about a consumer boycott.

I do my veganism for my own personal consistency with my ethics, and because frankly, it is easy to avoid directly killing or enslaving animals. For me, veganism is NOT a market tool, and as thus, as part of my veganism, I use all tools, not just market tools, to attempt to liberate animals (including humans).

I haven't eaten at McDonalds for about 20years now. Neither has my wife or kids (well, they've not been alive that long). Has that changed McDonald's policies? In fact, have the hundreds of McDonald's boycotts changed their policies?

What has worked is more like direct action towards McDonalds. People flying. Disrupting McDonald's practices. Working in tandem with the workers trapped in crappy jobs. Those things have worked.

I can see how POM might be easier to avoid than let's say a particular drug classification needed for human life. However, there's no boycott, or specific actions against POM. There's nothing for me to show solidarity with, and a lonely boycott (OK, a few thousand) people who boycott a company that already stopped testing on animals... well... I don't see the point. I'm all for boycotts, if they are part of a larger social movement. I do NOT see my veganism as a boycott tool at all. However, I can certainly get on board with boycotts if they are a tool that applies to my values of animal or human liberation.

My experience with market tools (like boycotts) to pressure corporations has been very spotty. The real changes I've seen have been more boycotts tied to actions. Or else, at this point, McDonalds (or heck, the dozens of companies whose products I do avoid) would've caved in to my pressure and changed their business plan.

My veganism IS NOT a BOYCOTT. It is much more.

[beforewisdom]

I made a mistake.

My veganism IS NOT about a consumer boycott.

Oops! Okay, lol. That settles it then.

[Fallen_Horse]

FH, I am well aware of the philosophy of Matt Ball via Vegan Outreach and I even think it has merit. I also have my own approach and that is one of doing what I can when it is practical.

POM experimented on animals for no need. They only sell one product: pomegranates and pomegranate juice.

It is practical and easy for me to avoid POM's sole product, so that is why I considered avoiding it.

I believe that boycotts become less effective when people compromise on them, so that is why I asked X to explain why he could eat a vegan diet as a consumer boycott, yet not stay with it at the same time.......as that kind of thing would sabotage his own efforts.

It was a non-nasty, academic point for me as I personally don't believe in the effectiveness of eating a vegan diet as a consumer boycott.

I see where you are going with this. To answer the original question, I still think Pomegranates are vegan. Do I think POM is a lovely company to support? No, but I'm not sure if giving them a few dollars a year will make much of a difference in my moral heart or in their bottom dollar. I will always buy vegan products, even from non-vegan companies, because I am increasing sales of their vegan products, encouraging them to make more of that product, even though I am increasing the company's bottom dollar at the same time. I figure it all equalizes.