Animal fats in new £20 notes may be replaced by palm oil as Bank of England caves into complaints about tallow
PALM oil could be used to replace animal fat in the new £20 note when they are launched after The Bank of England was hit with a raft of criticism by vegetarians and vegans.
The new polymer £5 notes caused controversy after it was revealed they contained tallow - a substance made from rendered animal fat.
But the announcement that palm oil or coconut oil could be used as the substance's replacement when the £20 is produced - set to be in circulation by 2020 - was met with mixed emotions.
Dominika Piasecka, spokesperson for The Vegan Society, said: "The Vegan Society campaigns to replace animal-derived ingredients with plant-based alternatives.
"We understand that the Bank of England is considering replacing tallow - the animal fat used in the production of new £5 and £10 polymer notes – with vegetable oils in the production of new £20 notes.
"There has been a suggestion that the oils used may be from palm or coconut trees. These crops have been associated with deforestation and the clearance of land for agricultural use causes damage to the natural environment and the species that depend on it.
"While we welcome the replacement of tallow, we encourage the Bank of England to ensure that any oils used are sourced sustainably.”
Conservation group Rainforest Foundation's Rachel Agnew also flagged concerns, telling : "It would depend on where the Bank of England source it."
It comes after against tallow labelled the £5 notes as "unacceptable" with more than 135,000 people throwing their support behind calls for the substance to be removed in the production of the notes.
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The Bank of England last year said that they would look at alternatives to the substance but said that it would not be replacing the controversial fivers.
Neither would the £10 note, launching in September this year, be changed.
After a review, the Bank found that palm oil, which is used in the production of foods like chocolate, would be one of the best replacements.
Dr Emma Keller, agriculture commodities manager at World Wildlife Fund, said: "WWF is encouraged to see the thorough and extensive review that the Bank of England have conducted in response to the animal fat issue in new bank notes.
"People don't want the bank notes in their pocket to come with such a high environmental cost."
The fatty fivers – which contain tallow, a substance made from animal fat – came to light when the Bank of England replied to a question on Twitter regarding the make up of the notes.
They confirmed: “There is a trace of tallow in the polymer pellets used in the base substrate of the polymer £5 notes.”
It caused a social media backlash with users deeming it “disgraceful”, “gross” and a “disappointing”.
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