Queen Elizabeth inspecting stacks of gold at the Bank of England, which doesn’t actually have anything to do with Canadian currency, but is just kind of funny to look at (Photo by Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Earlier today we noted the recent outcry in Britain over the country’s new £5 note, which is made using a small amount of animal fat. But the British aren’t the only ones with meat money. Canada’s bank notes have tallow as well.




The Canadian Broadcasting Company has confirmed with the Bank of Canada that Canuck currency contains animal fat too. The addition of the tiny amount of tallow allows the notes to slide into machines easier.

“Our supplier of polymer substrate, Innovia Security, has confirmed that its polymer substrate used as a base for bank notes contains additives that may be produced from tallow,” the message to the CBC reads.


“These additives help with the polymer manufacturing process, similar to many commercially available plastics materials. These additives would represent substantially less than 1% of the total weight of the substance,” the email continues.

Polymer bank notes have become increasingly common around the world, with countries like Australia being early adopters. They increase security, but as we’ve learned in the last couple of months, they’re not exactly vegan-friendly.

The United States still uses paper currency, so as far as we know they’re animal-free. But that might not last forever. There’s a big push for the US to adopt the more secure polymer bank note. Probably just in time for us to go completely cashless.