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Canadian Money May Contain Animal Fat, Bank Of Canada Confirms

The polymer substrate used in the bills may contain small amounts of animal fat, says the Bank of Canada.

Many Brits were outraged to learn that their new polymer banknotes contain traces of animal fat, and it looks like Canadian bills may too.

The Bank of Canada confirmed in an email to The Huffington Post Canada that the substance used as Canadian bills’ base may have small amounts of tallow, or animal fat in it.

"Polymer substrate used as a base for bank notes contains additives that help with the polymer manufacturing process, similar to many commercially available plastics," it said in an emailed statement.

"Our supplier of polymer substrate, Innovia Security, has confirmed to us that these additives may include extremely small amounts of tallow."

The Bank wrote that it is following up with Innovia, which is investigating.

An online petition has sprung up in the U.K. demanding the Bank of England cease using animal products in the country’s money. The petition's author wrote that the practice is offensive to many vegans, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

No similar petition has sprung up in Canada yet, but we've also had polymer money for a whole lot longer than the U.K. The Bank of Canada first began circulating $100 polymer bills in the fall of 2011, followed by smaller denominations over the next two years.

But Canada and the U.K. are not alone — Australia's banknotes also contain traces of tallow, the country's central bank confirmed to CNNMoney.

And while some Canadians are guaranteed to be upset to learn their cash isn't vegan, others don't seem to be bothered.

But no, the bills don't smell like bacon. We tested this already.

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