Condoms for Vegans

Just today, I was talking to some of my work colleagues about my best friend Sarah who is semi-crunchy. By that, I mean she is one of those hippies (and I say hippy very lovingly considering I lived in Austin, TX for 6 years and loved every moment of it) who makes her own granola and has been trying to get me to make my own deodorant for the past year. She loves hiking, yoga, meditating and vegetarian/vegan food. If I see the word vegan, boom, my mind instantly thinks of her. So, imagine my surprise when I read about something that is still making me scratch my head: vegan condoms.

Now, I understand vegan food. I Had another friend in college who would annoy the rest of us by begging to go out to eat with us and then proceeding to send back her meal ten times because she “tasted something meaty-ish” in her vegetable platter; all the while the rest of us sat there and prayed the cooks and waiters were not spitting in ALL of our meals. Like I said…vegan food, I get. Vegan condoms? Am I missing something?

What exactly is a vegan condom? This is a little hard to say considering there is currently no perfect system or federally regulated standard that defines what makes an item truly and certifiably vegan. In terms of condom production, the use of the ingredient casein is what most vegans seem to zero in on. Casein is a protein found in milk that many condom manufacturers use to create latex for condoms. Vegans feel strongly about not drinking, eating or using any milk products or any by-products of milk. Currently, there are only three latex condoms currently being sold that do not have casein listed as an ingredient.

The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) is a sexual health organization that produces vegan condoms. In 2009, the distributor for this organization’s condoms was able to declare their condoms as being certified vegan by the Vegan Action Foundation in America. Another manufacturer in Europe that produces vegan condoms is called Condomi. Instead of casein, this manufacturer utilizes cocoa powder in their production of condoms; however, these vegan condoms are not yet available for purchase in Canada or the U.S. simply because they are making sure they meet all standards and requirements in order to sale within the United States. Glyde manufacturers vegan condoms that are available in the United States.

Vegans also steer clear from any product that has been tested on animals, so some may wonder whether or not that means they also will steer clear of condoms that have lubrication on them. After all, most ingredients that comprise the lubricant were tested on animals at one point in time. In order to avoid this possibility, vegans can choose to buy only condoms that do not have lubricants on them just to be safe….pardon the pun.