Vegetarianism

Key Information

In its most common definition, vegetarianism consists in abstaining from consuming meat and can also be extended to other products of animal origin. However, since the concepts of “meat” and “animal” vary significantly from one society to another and even within a same cultural context (Fischler 2001), vegetarianism should be viewed as a broad spectrum of eating habits that includes everything from veganism, when no products of animal origin are consumed, to ovo-lacto-vegetarianism, which allows the consumption of milk, eggs, and honey as well as their derivatives and processed products.

There are a number of different reasons (ethical, religious, environmental, etc.) for adopting a vegetarian diet and as a result, vegetarians do not form a homogeneous group but rather have multiple, more or less converging identities. The animal rights movement, promoted by utilitarian philosophers such as Peter Singer and radical social movements like the Animal Liberation Front...