The Bank of England has unveiled the £5 notes, which will finally be accessible to the public September this year. But before the Bank makes it official that the notes will hit the market, vegetarians and vegans have announced they would use all means to reject the notes because they contain animal fat.
The Bank of England confirmed via Twitter on Monday that the new plastic fivers are made with tallow – a substance derived from fat and used in candles and soaps.
“There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes,” it confirmed.
This statement drew reactions from various quarters, some saying there is no big deal while vegetarians resolved to sign a petition to force the bank stop producing the notes.
“The new £5 notes contain animal fat in the form of tallow. This is unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians in the UK. We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use,” the petition read.
The new polymer five pound note, featuring Winston Churchill is the first of Bank of England’s notes not to be printed on paper. The new flexible plastic notes are designed to be cleaner, more secure and stronger.
