Britain’s New 5-Pound Note May Not Be Kosher
Mark Carney’s Beef: Bank of England governor Mark Carney dips his new treyf 5-pound note into food. Image by Getty Images
By Dan Friedman November 30, 2016
It may be “chewable, washable and harder to fake,” but Britain’s new 5-pound note may not be kosher.
Unveiled with a fanfare in September, Britain was excited to follow a number of other Commonwealth countries in using a more durable polymer instead of a traditional cotton base.
But it was revealed today — to the anger of vegans and Hindus especially — that the new notes include beef tallow. Tallow is rendered cooking fat making it abhorrent to vegans, unclean to Hindus and, depending on the process and amounts used, unkosher for Jews.
Sadly, though its relative longevity means it’s better for the environment, cows were definitely hurt in the making of this money.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
