Vegetarianism
It is the diet that is characterized by “not eating meat, fish, crustaceans and poultry.” Some people take this definition more strictly and consider vegetarianism as the diet in which only vegetable foods are consumed. People who put this food rule into practice are referred to as “vegetarians”. Vegetarianism is derived from the Latin vegetus, which means “lively”.

The Netherlands has about 750,000 people who are vegetarian. The country with the most vegetarians is undoubtedly India. Thirty percent of the Indian population is vegetarian. That equates to about 310 million people or about 5% of the world’s population.

Veganism
It is the attitude to life whereby no use is made of animals and products derived from animals.
Vegans therefore do not eat food of animal origin and do not use objects (such as flesh layes) made of animal materials. Furthermore, they leave animals to their natural freedom.

The latter implies that vegans are against animal testing, do not keep pets, do not use animals as a means of transport and do not participate in competitions or performances with animals. Not all vegans follow exactly the same standards. The Netherlands has about 16,000 vegans.