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The new £50 will not be vegan, the Bank of England has confirmed.
Like £5, £10, and £20 notes, the £50 will contain animal fat. When the £5 note was launched in 2016, it caused outcry from vegans and religious groups, leading the Bank to investigate alternative sources of fat.
The Bank spent a reported £66,941 between March 30 and May 12, 2017, on a public consultation into the use of animal fat in new banknotes.
Non-vegan notes
After the consultation, the Bank announced that vegetarian sources of fat, including palm oil, were too expensive. It also questioned the environmental sustainability of these alternatives.
“Within this process and after careful consideration, the Bank has decided that the composition of the polymer for the next £50 will be the same as for the current £5, £10 and £20,” said a statement.
‘Disappointed’
The Vegan Society spokesperson Dominika Piasecka told The Independent that the organization is ‘disappointed’ by the Bank’s decision.
“This is problematic as it perpetuates the false belief in our society that we can use animals as we please,” she added.
“However, we hope this case will encourage other companies to review and eliminate the use of animals from their products.”
