What is a Vegan? Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products. Distinctions are sometimes made between several categories of veganism. Dietary vegans (sometimes referred to as strict vegetarians or followers of a plant-based diet) refrain from consuming animal products, not only meat but also eggs, dairy products, and other animal-derived substances.