The Bank of England has since announced that its supplier of the note, Innovia, is working on a way to remove the use of tallow, a by-product of animal fat, from its production of polymer five pound notes.
Bank of England statement on Polymer Banknotes. https://t.co/Be7TgUU5VB pic.twitter.com/yZlgqNKqXZ
— Bank of England (@bankofengland) December 1, 2016
"We are aware of some people's concerns about traces of tallow in our new five pound note," the Bank of England said.
Royal Mint cash-in with new 'Fatty Fiver' product range. #fatfivers #fivepoundnote #tallow #notegate @bankofengland pic.twitter.com/JYuOQWqD9R
— Roger Cayless (@therealcayless) November 30, 2016
"We respect those concerns and are treating them with the utmost seriousness," it said in a statement.
Cash Row Over Cash Cow
The Bank of England had confirmed that tallow is indeed used in the production of its new plastic currency following a petition shared on the internet by a vegan campaigner which has attracted more than 100,000 signatures in just two days.
"This is unacceptable to millions of vegans and vegetarians in the UK," Doug Maw who launched the petitions stated.
Keep retweeting #BankofEngland. Bank of England: Remove Tallow from bank notes — Sign the Petition! https://t.co/MdV3P2hiSg via @UKChange
— Doug Maw (@dougmaw) December 1, 2016
It seems the row over tallow is set to continue as long as Britain's currency contains traces of animal fat, despite recent assurances from the Bank of England.
Bank of England yields to vegan pressure over plastic fivers — Protesting works! #vegetarian #vegan #food #foodporn… pic.twitter.com/6VzRlrLGYz
— Scarlet Richardson (@cookingscarlet) December 1, 2016
