What are beeswax benefits and side effects every ethical consumer must know? Is beeswax vegan? Good for you? Sustainable? Food you should buy organic and fair trade? Here are beeswax pros and cons…
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on beeswax benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about beeswax benefits and side effects. This will include beeswax benefits for your health and potential risks, beeswax water footprint and carbon footprint, sustainability, if beeswax is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if beeswax is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about beeswax benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Top Beeswax Benefits And Side Effects
HEALTH
Beeswax benefits may include:
- help to cure hiccups
- pain relief
- reduce inflammation
- treat diarrhea
- lower cholesterol
- treat ulcers
- treat small tears in the anus, burns, skin itching, diaper rash, hemorrhoids, mouth ulcers, and fungal infections such as jock itch (when applied topically)
Additionally, beeswax is…
- Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
ENVIRONMENT
Water footprint: likely low
Carbon footprint: likely low, 1.0 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of honey, a car driving equivalent of 2.5 miles or 4 kilometers
Destruction: high, beeswax production is relatively destructive, beeswax is disruptive in ecosystems involving severe strain on bee populations
Beeswax is…
- Unsustainable
ANIMALS
Kills: none, no bees need to be killed in order to produce beeswax, however diseases are rampant and often kill bees and entire colonies when honey is commercially produced
Harms: bees, honey is the energy source of bees, without their honey they would starve, when honey farmers remove honey from hives they replace it with sugar substitutes which are very bad for bees’ health, bee diseases spread when beekeepers mix and selectively breed different species of bees, queen bees commonly have their wings clipped by beekeepers to prevent them leaving the hive
Animals indirectly kills or harms: wildlife and ecosystems, bees and other vital pollinators, the unintentional spread of diseases is inevitable and spread when producing honey, threatening and killing various bee populations as well as other vital pollinators such as birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, the mass breeding of honeybees impacts the populations of other competing nectar-foraging insects, including un-farmed “wild” bees, since the quantities of farmed bees is inflated, native bumblebees are threatened and their numbers continue to decline
Beeswax is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
LABORERS
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Beeswax is…
- A product that may or may not have labor issues
Where does most beeswax come from?
The world’s top beeswax exporting country is China, followed by Germany, USA, Vietnam, Tanzania, Spain, Argentina, Australia, UK, Canada.
beeswax is gluten free.
Is beeswax gluten free? Yes, beeswax is naturally gluten free. Beeswax does not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
beeswax is not a common food allergen.
Is beeswax a common food allergen? No, beeswax is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to beeswax but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
beeswax is unsustainable.
Overall, is beeswax eco friendly? Is beeswax sustainable?
Beeswax production is unsustainable, as its production disrupts the ecosystem.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
beeswax is not vegan.
Is beeswax vegan? No, beeswax is not vegan. Beeswax is a wax produced by bees, the byproduct of honey bees, therefore making it an animal-derived ingredient. The wax honey bees collect and use to form cells for honey storage and larval and pupal protection within the beehive must be used in order to produce beeswax.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non-Vegan Foods List
beeswax is a product that may or may not have labor issues.
Is beeswax a product with labor concerns? At this time there are no major concerns with beeswax production but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening! It’s important to stay aware of human rights concerns and worker exploitation that may come with specific brands.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
This post was all about beeswax benefits and side effects.
Sources:
How many animals are killed for food every day
Plant Pure Evidence Behind a Plant-Based Diet
Plant-based diets could save millions of lives and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions
