From my limited knowledge of vegan vs vegetarian, traditional cheese would not be considered vegan, because an animal had to be slaughtered in the process. Same goes for any gelatin products like Jello, as it was once (still?) made from horse hooves. They would both be considered options for vegetarians, however, if the more specific 'rule' of not harming animals was the key. Another minor issue I find with a vegan label is the lack consideration for those microscopic animals that live in our bodies and even on the clean foods we consume. I would be more apt to claim a mostly plant diet in any case, versus claiming to be 'totally vegan'. Just don't know if that's scientifically possible. :-)