Vegans furious at New £5 note containing Animal Fat

Vegans and Vegetarians within England, are planning to boycott the new £5 notes, after learning they contain animal fat.

The Bank of England confirmed on their twitter that this was the case. They said: “There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.”

Tallow is a substance from animal fat that is often used in candles and soap.

This has sparked outrage from vegans within the country. Many British Asian vegans and vegetarians have shown their displeasure, particularly those who are from strict faiths like Hinduism and Sikhism where the consumption or use of any animal products is prohibited.

It is thought that the introduction of the £5 notes will create a problem in many religious establishments across the UK.

A petition with over 6,000 signings has emerged as many expressed their concern.

The petition read: “The new £5 notes contain animal fat in the form of tallow. This is unacceptable to millions of Vegans and Vegetarians in the UK. We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use.”

One woman, 33-year-old Steffi Rox, the owner of Nice Mums, spoke of her frustration to the Evening Standard. She said:

“It’s really disappointing. It’s not a nice thought that there is an animal product in my pocket. It grossed me out.

“It seems that Vegans were just not considered, which is pretty offensive considering it’s a huge growing community.”

Rox runs a business called ‘Nice Mums’. She took to Twitter to state that they will no longer be accepting the new £5 notes.

Jaspinder Gill, a strict vegetarian, expressed her disappointment in the news about the £5 notes.  She says:

“This is not good news at all. To know that we are carrying pound notes made from animal products in our purses and using them to buy things makes it very difficult for us. For people like us who do not have anything to do with animal products at all.”

Ashok Patel, a Gujarati Hindu, says:

“With these notes having animal coating creates a problem for any religious places. Temples will need to review their policies when dealing or handling such currency.”

The coating on the £5 notes also raises the question for Muslims as well, when it come products being halal or not.

The Bank of England has not yet responded to the concerns. It is not known whether the new £10 and £20 notes will contain the same animal fat.