Animal protein isn’t quite as disqualifying as you might think when it comes to veganism. While the general consensus is that good and proper vegans should subsist entirely on a diet of plant-based foods, there are some outliers to this.
For example, honey is frequently excluded from lists of banned foods, owing to the fact that it is initially floral in origin, if by way of a little bee ingestion and regurgitation. And a growing number of vegans carve out a head-scratching exception to another type of food entirely: oysters.
How can a person committed to not eating animal products justify the consumption of oysters? Well, it all boils down to some long forgotten sixth grade science class lessons. Though oysters definitely fall somewhere within the animal kingdom (in the superfamily Ostreoidea, to be exact), some argue that they are more akin to plants.
Oysters on the half shell — Photo courtesy of iStock / Larry Zhou
Consider the sessile (immobile) nature of the oyster, for starters. And then there’s the fact that oysters lack a central nervous system, casting their ability to think and feel – at least in a manner that humans can make sense of – into doubt.
Even the famed ethicist Peter Singer has written in "Animal Liberation" that "One cannot with any confidence say that these creatures do feel pain, so one can equally have little confidence in saying that they do not feel pain." Oyster-eating vegans once again suggest that this makes the animals more plant-like than we otherwise assume.
While oysters might not have brains in the vertebrate sense, they do possess some comparable organs to humans. Chief among these are an oyster’s heart and its kidneys. Beyond that, things get questionable though, with ganglia and nerve cords rounding out the animal’s main organs. You can see how a vegan on the verge of pescetarianism might be inclined to see more differences than similarities when they look at an oyster.
A bed oysters off the Carolina coast — Photo courtesy of iStock / PamSchodt
There are some surprising environmental justifications for oyster consumption as well. Some 95% of the oysters that make their way onto those round beds of ice in restaurants the world over are farm-raised.
And unlike the farms that spring up atop newly deforested land, or even the gigantic dairy farms that contribute enormous amounts of methane into the atmosphere, oyster farms are distinctly beneficial in nature. That’s because oysters are essentially living water purifiers.
A single oyster is able to filter five liters of water each hour. And it takes just an acre of underwater land to raise 750,000 of the little guys at a time.
Entire non-profit organizations are even dedicated to the creation of additional oyster farms as a means of preserving acceptable water quality for other marine life to continue thriving under the increasing encroachment of the human world into the wild. No waterway-polluting fertilizer is used in oyster farms, and no land must be cleared to make space for them to grow.
In this way, the cultivation of oysters, fueled by commerce for the sake of eating them, is a net positive for the environment, if not the individual oysters themselves. Other bivalves – like clams, scallops and mussels – require the disruptive dredging of the sea floor in order to collect them.
Fresh oysters — Photo courtesy of iStock / UliU
The last major justification for dining upon oysters is that they are actually quite safe to consume. Because oysters are most frequently eaten raw, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has published detailed instructions on oyster depuration that are widely followed wherever oysters are farmed.
What is depuration, you ask? The removal of fecal matter from within the animal’s shell by way of a two-to-three day filtration process in vats of purified water. This ensures that oysters, unlike most animals that humans consume, are generally as close to sterile as you can get before they ever touch our tongues.
Still, not every critic is convinced that oysters are an appropriate fit for consumption, let alone by vegans. It wasn’t all that long ago that the great thinkers of the day argued that other mammals couldn’t feel pain in the way that humans do, or experience emotions. We now know that to be false.
And even more recently, the same argument was made about amphibians and fish. And once more, in both cases, we’ve since learned that not to be true. So should oysters be eschewed by vegans? Only time and science will tell.
FAQs
The main argument why oysters are vegan-friendly is that they don't feel pain since they have a very simple nervous system and no brain. Therefore, it's believed that they cannot process or feel pain in the same way that other animals can. Vegans use the same argument to justify eating plants.
Are oysters ok for vegans? ›
By definition, no, oysters are not vegan; they are still living organisms which means they can't be considered a vegan food. Given the facts, it's not surprising that oysters draw mixed responses from vegans, but it is ultimately down to an individual whether they feel comfortable eating them.
What is the vegan oyster argument? ›
Some people claim that oysters are vegan-friendly due to a belief that they are not sentient creatures capable of feeling pain. Pain is a subjective experience and impossible to measure in any animal. However, most people will class an animal as capable of pain if they have a central nervous system and brain.
What is the saying about eating oysters? ›
Rule of thumb is at least 4,000 years old. Foodie tradition dictates only eating wild oysters in months with the letter “r” – from September to April – to avoid watery shellfish, or worse, a nasty bout of food poisoning. Now, a new study suggests people have been following this practice for at least 4,000 years.
Why do they say not to chew oysters? ›
We're often asked, “Are you supposed to chew oysters?” and we're here to tell you that despite what you may have heard, it's not recommended to swallow an oyster whole. Biting into the oyster allows flavorful juices to escape and enhances the overall savoring experience.
Why is oyster sauce not vegan? ›
Oyster sauce is made using—you guessed it—oysters. That means the sauce, which is commonly used in Chinese cooking, is not suitable for most vegan diets.
When and when not to eat oysters? ›
In the northern hemisphere, the old rule that native oysters should only be eaten when there's an 'r' in the month still holds true; so eat oysters from September to April. During the summer months they're busy spawning, and their flesh becomes unpleasantly soft and milky. Rock oysters are available all year round.
What is the superstition about eating oysters? ›
As a result of this mythological connection between Aphrodite and oysters, people have for centuries believed that consuming oysters can be a powerful aphrodisiac. This belief has been perpetuated since antiquity with many prominent writers and cultural figures citing evidence of oysters' aphrodisiac effects.
Can vegans eat scallops? ›
Simply put, no – scallops aren't suitable for vegans as they're a living part of the animal kingdom. Although there might be some arguments that their lack of a central nervous system stops them from feeling pain in the same way as mammals, this still doesn't mean that they're suitable for vegans.
Why don t vegans eat clams? ›
For proper vegans, on the other side, their response could not be more cogent: Vegans do not eat squid because they are animals; they do not eat snails because they are animals; they do not eat clams because they are animals; and they do not eat oysters because they are animals.
"`Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water--you are to detest.
What is the famous oyster quote? ›
The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.
Why can't you eat oysters in summer? ›
There are reasons oyster lovers prefer not to eat oysters in warm-weather months. Oysters spawn in warm water and can be thin and watery. If you like your oysters plump and firm, maybe months with an “R” really are best. Warmer water can also cause harmful bacteria to grow.
Why you shouldn't eat too many oysters? ›
However, when consumed in excess, selenium can be toxic, and conversely selenium deficiency has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline and infertility. Therefore, to ensure you get the maximum health benefits from oysters, you need to eat them in moderation.
How are oysters killed before you eat them? ›
The bad news is, it died within a few minutes of being shucked. Once an oyster's flesh is removed from the shell by cutting the adductor muscle (that tough bit that keeps the oyster clamped shut) the oyster continues to breathe for three to five minutes.
What's the point of eating raw oysters? ›
Oysters are a type of saltwater bivalve found to be rich in essential nutrients. High in vitamins, minerals, and protein, they potentially offer various health benefits. Are proposed to boost the immune system, lower cholesterol, and support heart health. Can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
What seafood can vegans eat? ›
Can vegans eat seafood? The straight forward answer here is no, vegans don't eat fish or seafood. In fact, neither do vegetarians – if you're interested in cutting out or reducing your dairy and meat intake, then you might be interested to learn more about the pescatarian diet.
Is there a vegetarian equivalent to oysters? ›
Pearlita Foods, a cell-cultured seafood startup, has revealed its vegan prototype for oysters made from ingredients like mushrooms and seaweed. The plant-based oysters will even come served in a no-shucking-necessary shell that is biodegradable.
Why are pearls not vegan? ›
Pearls come exclusively from oysters, and are therefore not vegan. They are used exclusively for jewelry—typically either necklaces or earrings. Our current understanding of biology suggests it's possible that oysters lack sentience and are therefore incapable of suffering.
Oysters on the half shell — Photo courtesy of iStock / Larry Zhou
A bed oysters off the Carolina coast — Photo courtesy of iStock / PamSchodt
Fresh oysters — Photo courtesy of iStock / UliU