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Comparison of selected vegetarian and semi-vegetarian diets (view template)
		Plants	Dairy	Eggs	Seafood	Poultry	All other animals
Vegetarianism	Lacto-ovo vegetarianism	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
	Lacto vegetarianism	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
	Ovo vegetarianism	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
	Veganism	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Semi-vegetarianism	Flexitarianism	Yes	Yes	Yes	Sometimes	Sometimes	Sometimes
	Pollotarianism	Yes	Maybe	Maybe	Maybe	Yes	No
	Pescetarianism	Yes	Maybe	Maybe	Yes	No	No

Ovo vegetarianism /ˈoʊvoʊ/ is a type of vegetarianism which allows for the consumption of eggs but not dairy products, in contrast with lacto vegetarianism. Those who practice ovo vegetarianism are called ovo-vegetarians. "Ovo" comes from the Latin word for egg.

Etymology

The term ovo vegetarianism was used as early as 1952.^[1] Ovo comes from the Latin word ovum, meaning egg.^[2] Ovo vegetarianism refers to a diet free from meat, fish, and dairy products or ingredients with the exception of eggs.^[3]

Motivations

Ethical motivations for excluding dairy products are based on issues with the industrial practices behind the production of milk. Concerns include the practice of keeping a cow constantly pregnant in order for her to lactate and the slaughter of unwanted male calves. Other concerns include the standard practice of separating the mother from her calf and denying the calf its natural source of milk.^[4] This contrasts with the industrial practices surrounding egg-laying hens, which produce eggs for human consumption without being fertilized. Ovo-vegetarians often prefer free-range eggs, that is, those produced by uncaged hens.^[5]

Concerns

Ethical concerns about the consumption of eggs arise from the practice of culling male chicks shortly after birth.^[5]^[6]^[7] Practices considered humane for chick culling include maceration and suffocation using carbon dioxide.^[5]^[8]

One of the main differences between a vegan and an ovo-vegetarian diet is the avoidance of eggs. Vegans do not consume eggs.^[9]

References

^ "Definition of LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
^ "ab ovo | Etymology of phrase ab ovo by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
^ "Ovo-vegetarian". Retrieved 9 April 2024.
^ The Dairy Cow Archived 2008-02-23 at the Wayback Machine from the website of the Vegan Society
^ ^a ^b ^c Hens & Eggs Archived 2009-03-31 at the Wayback Machine from the website of the Vegan Society
^ Day 20: Hard Boiled, Deviled & Devastated Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, a January 26, 2008 blog post from a Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center blog
^ Vegetarian Society. "Laying hens" subheading: "Egg Production & Welfare".
^ "Maceration" (PDF). AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. American Veterinary Medical Association. June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-15. A review of the use of commercially available macerators for euthanasia of chicks, poults, and pipped eggs indicates that death by maceration in day-old poultry occurs immediately with minimal pain and distress. Maceration is an alternative to the use of carbon dioxide for euthanasia of day-old poultry. Maceration is believed to be equivalent to cervical dislocation and cranial compression as to time element, and is considered to be an acceptable means of euthanasia for newly hatched poultry by the Federation of Animal Science Societies, Agriculture Canada, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and European Union.
^ Erik Marcus (2000). Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. McBooks Press, Incorporated. ISBN 9781590133446.