Veggie cafe REFUSES new polymer £5 notes because they contain animal fat

A VEGETARIAN cafe owner is refusing the new £5 note on "ethical grounds" after it emerged they contain ANIMAL FAT.

Sharon Meijland, who owns the veggie Rainbow Cafe in Cambridge, has said she is "mystified" and "repulsed" by the new fatty fivers.

There was an outcry from vegetarians after the Bank of England confirmed the notes contain tallow.

The amount of animal fat in the fivers is significantly less than 1%.

Ms Meijland has said she promised her customers the Rainbow Cafe would be an "ethical establishment".

: "(Tallow's) an animal product isn't it? Our whole business is based around not having anything like that on the premises.

"Although the same person doesn't handle money that handles the food, that's not really the point".

She added: "This is so repulsive... we are actually going to have to say that we can't take the notes in our restaurant."

Ms Meijland said most of her customers pay by card but those who only have a new £5 will be "accommodated in some way".

The presence of tallow 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 “disappointing”.

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition to remove tallow from the new currency.

Others called for a review into the way the note is made.

The petition, started by Doug Maw, said: “This is unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians in the U.K.

“We demand that you cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use."

The new plastic £5 notes marked a new era for British banknotes and have extra security features to prevent forgeries.

Printed on polymer, a thin and flexible plastic, they are scheduled to replace paper fivers by May, 2017.

Earlier this month it was revealed ticket machines were struggling with the change in shape and material.

A Sun investigation also revealed that while the new banknote was promoted as being twice as durable as previous bills, an experiment found that almost the entire note can be rubbed out with a normal pencil eraser.

The notes, which bear a portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, are 15 per cent smaller than the paper notes they are replacing and are said to last more than twice as long.

Because they are plastic, they are difficult to tear and can survive being put through the washing machine and other spills.

A smaller plastic £10 note featuring novelist Jane Austen will go into circulation next summer and a £20 polymer note, featuring the artist JMW Turner, is due by 2020.

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