In today’s food marketplace, a wide range of terms compete for the health-conscious consumer’s attention. “Natural” is the catch-all, but also the most devoid of real meaning. That is because almost any ingredient can be defined as natural, but not every naturally-occurring element promotes good health.

Organic is a trusted term, but even here there are significant loopholes. Many consumers who call themselves vegans want something more, and for them there is a higher grade of purity: Veganic agriculture.

Veganic breads, cereals, flour and other foods are a perfect fit for vegans, who exclude meat and dairy products from their diets. And yet veganic foods have a wider appeal. Anyone interested in consuming food that has been grown according to the highest standards of safety is likely to be intrigued by the benefits of veganic products.

As with a vegan lifestyle, there is an ethical component to the choice of products grown according to the principles of veganic agriculture. The goal is a diet that is healthy for both the body and the planet.

Although the words are similar, “vegan” and “veganic” are not interchangeable. Sometimes it may seem that it requires a lawyer to define the terms accurately and explain the differences. If one is needed, Canadian lawyer Stephen Gleave is the ideal choice.

At the top levels of the Toronto legal community, he is known as a premier employment and labour lawyer, but in his small town of Ancaster, Ontario neighbors are more familiar with his passion for organic farming, pollinator preservation and chemical-free food. He is highly knowledgeable about the differences among agricultural and dietary practices, and able to articulate them clearly.

Vegan choices center on personal decisions about what types of food to eat, Stephen Gleave explains, while veganic methods are choices farmers make in cultivating their fields. Essentially, veganic agriculture is a principled way farmers grow crops without the use of chemicals, compounds or animal inputs of any kind.

Like organic, veganic is a food production process. And although organic crops are similarly grown without the use of chemicals, compounds or genetic modification, an organic certification does allow farmers to use animal waste, including blood meal and bone meal, to fertilize fields. These sources may carry an array of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and other chemicals.

One of the key tenets of veganic agriculture is to reject animal-based fertilizer of any kind. Veganic farms use only plant-based fertilizers and favor nature’s own time-tested methods to build nutrients in the soil, such as rotating crop varieties and allowing fields to lie fallow. As a result, they produce healthier, safer food, Stephen Gleave contends. 

Veganic foods have a wider appeal beyond a vegan diet, such as for mothers with young children, those who have been told by a doctor to fundamentally change their diet and anyone looking for food sources that are grown safely and sustainably.

Finding veganic products at the local store can be a challenge, and often it takes some research on the part of the consumer to discover not just where ingredients were grown, but how. You don’t need an attorney to trace the life story of each grain, but in this case it’s a good idea to listen to one advisor who is passionate about health, pure food and the well-being of our planet: Canadian lawyer Stephen Gleave.

James Montano