UK’s new £50 notes to contain animal fat despite backlash from vegans and religious groups
In 2017, the Bank ran a public consultation into the use of animal fat in new bank notes. Of the 3,554 people who responded to the consultation, 88% were against the use of animal-derived additives.
KATIE O’MALLEY: ‘The Bank of England has confirmed that it has decided to continue using polymer for the £50 note made with a trace of tallow (an animal by-product) after “careful consideration” while putting the contract out to tender. The plastic used in making the new £50 will be the same as that currently used in the £5, £10 and £20 notes. In response to the Bank’s latest announcement, Dominika Piasecka, spokeswoman for The Vegan Society, says the organisation is “disappointed” about the decision. “This is problematic as it perpetuates the false belief in our society that we can use animals as we please,” Piasecka said…
The Bank of England’s decision to continue using polymer follows years of backlash from the public who originally called for the production process of a £5 launched in 2017 to be changed… In 2017, the Bank revealed it had run a public consultation into the use of animal fat in new bank notes. From the 3,554 people who responded to the consultation, 88 per cent cent were against the use of animal-derived additives and 48 per cent were against the use of palm oil-derived additives…
In November 2016, a petition was launched calling for the end of tallow use in the note in favour of a vegan-friendly alternative. The petition garnered more than 138,000 signatures. The petition’s organisers said the use of animal fat was “unacceptable to millions of vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others in the UK”. Satish Sharma, the general secretary of the National Council of Hindu Temples, previously told The Independent that the Bank “completely ignored” the community’s concerns. Mr Sharma continued, revealing that members of his community would be hit with a “crisis of conscious” as they would have to choose between taking a “financial hit” from not using the notes or going against their moral and religious beliefs’. SOURCE…
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