Honeybees are often factory-farmed, much as chickens, pigs, and cows are. And as with other factory-farmed animals, honeybees are victims of unnatural living conditions, genetic manipulation, and commercial transport. Some honey manufacturers even cut off the queen bee’s wings so that she can’t leave the colony. Many bees are killed or have their wings and legs torn off because of haphazard handling and transport.

Bees need their honey for their own nourishment, but some commercial honey producers take all the honey away, replacing it with sugar water, instead of leaving enough for them to get through the winter.

If you like the taste of honey but don’t want to support factory bee farms, try vegan honey, such as Just Like Honey and Bee Free Honee, available in the U.S. Agave nectar, rice syrup, molasses (treacle), sorghum, barley malt, maple syrup, and dried fruit or fruit concentrates can also be used instead of honey.