Yes because those by-products were converted into chemicals that the plant now absorbs. The plant manufactures the same nutrients regardless of where the were obtained from.

Well, there really isn’t an answer to this as it depends on the vegetarian and their reasons for being one. I would suggest that probably the answer is NO to anybody calling themselves a vegan though.

Some vegetarians would rather not eat anything that involves an animal death, whereas others aren’t as bothered. I was a vegetarian for 10 years. When I ordered french fries, sometimes I’d ask if they were cooked in animal fat or vegetable fat, other times I wouldn’t ask because I was just hungry.

It’s very difficult to say which veggies were grown using animal by-products as fertilizer, veggies aren’t usually labelled and a vegetarian won’t always want to investigate deeply every time they order a salad.

I’d say, if this is for a restaurant - then don’t list them as vegetarian if you know they were grown using slaughter house by-products. If this is for a dinner party, ask your guest before you buy the veggies.

That’s a great question! I’m sure that a lot of vegans/vegetarians are not aware of what is used to fertalize vegetables on SOME farms…

Though it’s not an Organic issue (and I’m not sure why that word is even used here) - Conventional practices also use by products! Truth of the matter is that Organic IS better in MANY ways - standards across the board (from veg to meat) are much higher because they DO NOT allow the use of chemical pesticides/herbicides, hormones, synthetic stimulus, antibiotics, additives etc and are Government regulated under laws and certain rules of agricultural conduct that must be met in order to be third party certified!… Whereas their counterpart Conventional Crops/livestock does not - and uses everything and anything to make their meat/produce bigger, last longer, and look better!

With that out of the way LOL……………….

I myself eat organic veggies from a nearby farm that uses vegetable and non meat by-product fertalizers - also excluding animal dung… We were there just last week to find out what they are planting this year :~) So there are CHOICES - we just have to dig a little, do some research and if you can scope out some of the farmers that may live in your province/state…. ask questions and be informed! Then you can make your own decision on what’s right/wrong for you….

But as far as being vegetarian myself - I try to eat as much vegetable based foods as possible! But you are right - there are things sometimes over which no matter how hard we try there is no control over… As vegetarians we do eat things like crackers, breads etc - with ingredients like wheat and corn from farms that we cannot get to - or ask questions from - so they MAY be as you put it be using by products to enrich their soil… I try my best to stay away from things I don’t know the origins of… But you can only do what you can…. As long as I do my best to research and avoid the one’s that I do not agree with I’m happy ;~)

Yes, plants are not vegetarians. They will use what ever they find in the soil.