The Eternal Debate: Is Coconut Milk Vegan or Not Vegan! 

Animals being harmed for collection of a food product is not something remotely vegan, is it?

There’s a growing segment of people across the globe opting for veganism which is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. 

When it comes to coconut milk while the liquid that is squeezed from the meat of a coconut is vegan per se; yet one cannot claim that the process by which the coconuts are procured is purely vegan.

Well to grasp this better let’s understand a bit about coconuts. These are majorly produced in Southeast Asia but are consumed more in Europe and North America. Coconuts which grow on a type of palm tree can thrive in tropical and subtropical climates. Coconuts and products made from coconuts like coconut milk are plant-based – as coconuts grow on trees and can be produced without the use of animals. 

But the catch lies in the unfortunate fact that monkeys are frequently used to help harvest coconuts which means coconuts often aren’t vegan.

In fact there’s more than meets the eye here…Based on an investigation by PETA-Asia a segment of coconut milk producers, force monkeys to pick coconuts on farms. These monkeys are actually chained by the neck, locked inside congested cages, and forced to climb up and down trees to collect up to 1,000 coconuts per day. And the worst part is that these monkeys are separated from their families at a tender age and deprived of mental stimulation, companionship, freedom, and everything else that would make their lives worth living, simply to ascertain that they can be used to pick coconuts.

Research claims that a macaque can harvest between 500 and 1000 coconuts per day, while humans can only get around 80 in a day. So for the coconut farmer the advantages of using monkeys are multiple he - can get a bigger harvest; saves on labour cost as monkeys don’t need to be paid; nullifies the risk of injury by letting monkeys do this work for him.

Thailand farmers are notorious for deploying monkeys for harvesting coconuts using methods bordering on cruelty. 

The best way to ensure that what you’re buying is vegan, support brands that have policies of sourcing only from farms that don’t use monkey labour.