New Bean Facts report links low bean intake to up to 9,000 premature deaths

 Major food businesses, celebrity chefs and charities join forces to get the UK eating more beans as new report finds diets low in beans are associated with up to 9,000 premature deaths in the UK yearly 

• The BANG IN SOME BEANS campaign, aiming to get the UK eating more beans, pulses and legumes, has launched today with support from Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Tom Kerridge and other celebrity chefs  
• Lidl GB, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Ocado, Waitrose, Bidfood, ISS and Harvester are among the first food businesses to become ‘keen bean pledgers,’ making commitments to increase sales or servings of beans (full list of pledgers in notes below) 
• Food businesses, from retailers to restaurants, are now being called on to follow suit and join the bean revolution 
• Simultaneously, thousands of children are taking part in The Big Bean Boost in schools 

On the same day The Food Foundation has published its Bean Facts report revealing that: 

• Beans are a real-life superfood and are a triple win for health, climate and affordability   
• Diets that are low in beans are associated with up to 9,000 premature deaths in the UK each year⁽¹⁾ 
• On average we eat just one portion of beans a week, and two thirds of the UK population (66%) eat less than one portion of beans a week⁽²⁾ 
• To align with the Planetary Health Diet UK, bean consumption would need to be 7 times higher than it currently is, with beans having a lower carbon footprint than other sources of protein 
• Currently half of children’s bean intake (50%) and over a third (37%) of adult’s total bean intake in the UK comes from baked beans, with huge potential to diversify the beans we are eating⁽²⁾
• 95% of the beans we buy are eaten at home, as the campaign calls on restaurants, fast food outlets, pubs and cafes to up their game and get more beans on the menu⁽⁴⁾ 
• Beans cost on average 4.5 times less (per 100g) than other plant-based meat alternatives

Partners including The Food Foundation and Veg Power⁽⁵⁾ have today launched the BANG IN SOME BEANS campaign, which aims to double UK bean consumption by 2028. The campaign is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and the digital campaign is being created by Ark Agency.

The UK is facing soaring levels of diet-related disease, increasing food prices, as well as dealing with the effects of climate change. Beans are packed full of nutrients, are affordable and are sustainable to produce, meaning increasing their consumption at national level could help with each of these issues.

Initial Keen Bean Pledges from businesses supporting the campaign include (full list in Notes to Editor): 

1. Lidl GB pledge to increase volume sales for all bean products (including composites) by 50% by 2028 
2. Sainsbury’s pledge to aim to increase sales tonnage for beans and pulses by 2028 
3. M&S pledge to increase volume sales for all ambient bean products by 15% by 2028 
4. Ocado pledge to boost bean sales, igniting a movement to inspire customers to embrace the power of beans through promotions, marketing, and new product developments 
5. Waitrose pledge to increase the total tonnes of beans sold by driving sales of beans as ingredients as well as through the sales of our products with beans in 
6. Bidfood pledge to increase volume sales for all bean products (including composites) by 30% by 2028 
7. Harvester pledge to increase volume of procured beans by 15% by 2028 
8. ISS pledge to increase procurement of beans by 25% by 2028 

The new Bean Facts report highlights beans as a high-fibre food rich in micronutrients like potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. They also count as up to one of your 5-a-day. With only 4% of UK adults getting enough fibre and just 17% meeting their 5-a-day, increasing bean consumption could significantly improve UK diets.

Fibre supports digestion and lowers the risk of chronic diseases, such as bowel cancer. Health organisations including The British Heart Foundation, World Cancer Research Fund, and Diabetes UK all endorse beans for disease prevention.

Beans are also protein-rich and one of the few plant foods containing lysine, which aids calcium absorption and collagen production. They are cost-effective too - and the report finds they average 4.5 times cheaper per 100g than other plant-based meat alternatives.

Environmentally, beans have a lower carbon footprint than other sources of protein, as well as nitrogen-fixing properties which boost soil health and reduce fertiliser use.

Beans are therefore a key crop for supporting regenerative agricultural practices and boosting biodiversity. In fact, the report finds that to meet the Eat Lancet’s Planetary Health Diet, UK bean consumption would need to increase sevenfold.

Despite these benefits, the report finds beans remain under-consumed. Two-thirds of the UK population eat less than one portion a week, and half of children’s bean intake and over a third of adults’ comes from baked beans.

Greater variety and inspiration from global cuisines, from Mexico to Spain to India, could help diversify and boost bean consumption across the UK.

The Food Foundation and Veg Power are calling on chefs, retailers and manufacturers, restaurant chains, wholesalers, caterers, youth organisations, and community groups to join them and commit to serving and selling more beans as well as turbocharging the marketing and promotion of beans.

The digital BANG IN SOME BEANS campaign will be working with a wide range of social media influencers and chefs to inspire, demystify and offer help and tips to help people to include more beans, lentils and pulses in their everyday cooking. Influencer events and get togethers are being planned for 2026 and beyond.

Chef quotes

Jamie Oliver, chef and campaigner said: "It’s no secret that I love beans. Not only are they delicious and affordable, they’re plant-based powerhouses that are packed with fibre, are a brilliant source of protein and live happily in your store cupboard for ages. If there’s anything we should be eating more of, it’s beans."

 

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef and campaigner, said: "Beans are fantastic for your health and are packed full of fibre, protein and micro-nutrients. Put simply, we should all be eating more of them.

"The BANG IN SOME BEANS campaign is bringing together chefs, influencers and food businesses so we can all get excited about trying new beany recipes, whether that’s exploring exciting dishes from all over the world, or simply banging some beans into family favourites to give them a brilliant boost.

"Beans really are a super useful and super special ingredient, and there’s no end of ways to enjoy them in your cooking." 

General Quotes

Rebecca Tobi, Head of Food Business Transformation, at The Food Foundation, said: "Beans are a win-win-win for our health, the environment, and our wallets at a time when food prices continue to rise.

"As an affordable, healthy and sustainable food, beans deserve to play a much bigger role than they currently do in helping us to eat better as a nation, with two thirds of the population eating less than a single portion of beans a week.

"And we’re not just talking about baked beans, we want to get the UK exploring new recipes from chilis, stews, curries and dhals to dips and salads.

"There’s a whole world of dishes to be explored out there, which is why we’re building a movement of food businesses and chefs who are helping us get more beans on the menu and in shopping baskets.

"We’re now looking for more businesses to sign up and play their part in boosting bean consumption for both people and planet."

 

Dan Parker, Chief Executive, Veg Power, said: "The Bean Facts report highlights just how important it is for get people eating more beans.

"BANG IN SOME BEANS is an encouragement to chefs, to home cooks, to food lovers and families to add beans to whatever they’re making. It's about giving everyone the confidence to add beans to their favourite dishes, and to try new ones too." 

 

Mel Eaglesfield, Funding Strategy, Innovation and UK Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: "We’re proud to fund the BANG IN SOME BEANS campaign, supporting people to live healthier and more sustainable lives.

"Beans are brilliant for our health as well as our pockets, and this project is a fantastic example of helping to benefit people and planet in our everyday lives, thanks to National Lottery players."

 

Josiah Meldrum, Co-Founder, Hodmedod’s, said: "Beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas are critical in the shift to more sustainable, resilient farming.

"They play a part in building soil carbon, supporting biodiversity, holding water, and working with microbes in the soil to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and turn it into the nitrates that feed them and other plants.

"The use and manufacture of nitrogen fertiliser alone is responsible for 2-3% of all our greenhouse gas emissions, about the same as aviation, so legumes have a vital role in tackling climate change.

"Legumes that produce pulses could make up almost 20% of UK cropland, instead they're closer to 4%, the only way more will be grown is if more are eaten - BANG IN SOME BEANS to support UK farmers doing their thing for climate and biodiversity." 

Keen Bean Pledger Business Quotes 

Ruth Cranston, Group Director of Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said: "We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can enjoy good food and have long supported efforts to help customers eat well.

"As part of our ambition to help more customers achieve a healthy, nutritious, plant-rich diet, we are excited to become a “Keen Bean” pledger in the Food Foundation’s latest campaign, aiming to increase our beans and pulses sales tonnage by 2028.

"We’re looking forward to working with industry and partners throughout this campaign, to share learnings and encourage more people to discover the benefits of beans." 

 

Julie Owst, Head of Sustainability, Bidfood, said: "Bidfood is proud to support this campaign by pledging a 30% increase in sales of products containing beans by 2028.

"We recognise the urgent need to shift towards healthier, more sustainable diets - and the crucial role the food industry must play in making this happen. Beans are nutritious, affordable, and usually have a low environmental footprint, making them a simple and powerful way to drive positive change for people and the planet."

 

Charlie Parker, Senior Nutritionist, Ocado Retail, said: "Ocado Retail is committed to help its customers achieve healthier and more sustainable diets. We're proudly pledging to boost bean sales to inspire our customers through promotions, marketing, and new and exciting product innovations."

 

Sarah Healey, Senior Company Nutritionist, Harvester said: "At Harvester, we’re passionate about encouraging the enjoyment of beans - a delicious, sustainable, and fibre-rich ingredient that’s great for both our guests and the planet.

"We’re proud to already offer a variety of beans on our menu, and we’re hard at work developing even more exciting options to champion this campaign and inspire our guests to embrace beans in every bite."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

⁽¹⁾ Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network (2021) Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) Results. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Available at: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ 

⁽²⁾,⁽³⁾,⁽⁴⁾  The latest UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) from 2019 to 2023 (waves 12-15) served as the basis for all consumption analyses conducted in this briefing. This survey includes consumption data from a nationally representative sample of 4,089 individuals aged 1 to 85 years across the UK.  We used Usual Intakes - the gold standard for dietary recall data as it allows data from non-consecutive days to be tracked, thus avoiding the so-called ‘weekend effect’ - to calculate the average consumption of beans across different sociodemographic groups. We used the definition of ‘bean’ used in the NDNS, which includes all pulses, soy beans and other legumes as well as bean-containing foods. Please note that the NDNS does not include fresh peas or peanuts, and so these have not been included within our analysis. Further details can be found in our technical note.

⁽⁵⁾ The Food Foundation, Veg Power, Kent Student Union along with project collaborators Birmingham City Council, The University of Kent and Beans is How.

KEEN BEAN PLEDGERS SO FAR...

- Bidfood pledge to increase volume sales for all bean products (including composites) by 30% by 2028 

- Brindisa pledge to increase category volume sales by 4% by 2028 

- Compleat Foods pledge to a 25% increase in sales of beans in year 1 

- Harvester pledge to increase volume of procured beans by 15% by 2028 

- ISS pledge to increase procurement of beans by 25% by 2028 

- Lidl GB pledge to increase volume sales for all bean products (including composites) by 50% by 2028 

- M&S pledge to increase volume sales for all ambient bean products by 15% by 2028

- Merchant Gourmet pledge to double volume sales for all beans by 2028 

- Ocado pledge to boost bean sales, igniting a movement to inspire our customers to embrace the power of beans through promotions, marketing, and new product developments 

- Sainsbury’s pledge to increase beans and pulses sales tonnage by 2028 

- Suma pledge to double volume sales for all beans by 2028  

- Waitrose pledge to increase the total tonnes of beans sold by driving sales of beans as ingredients as well as through the sales of our products with beans in.  

Additionally, Birds Eye, Co-op, Wahaca and Nursery Kitchen have committed to promoting the campaign and championing beans.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Please contact Juliet Grant on 07929 075489 or email juliet.grant@foodfoundation.org.uk

Listen to The Food Foundation Podcast
For in-depth analysis and lived experiences listen to our podcast

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter/X: @Food_Foundation 
Instagram: food.foundation
LinkedIn: The Food Foundation
Bluesky: The Food Foundation
Tiktok: thefoodfoundation
YouTube: @foodfoundation91

ABOUT THE FOOD FOUNDATION
The Food Foundation is a charity working to influence food policy and business practice, shaping a sustainable food system which makes healthy diets affordable and accessible for all. We work in partnership with researchers, campaigners, community bodies, industry, investors, government and citizens to galvanise the UK’s diverse agents of change, using surprising and inventive ideas to drive fundamental shifts in our food system. These efforts are based on the continual re-evaluation of opportunities for action, building and synthesising strong evidence, convening powerful coalitions, harnessing citizens’ voices and delivering impactful communications.        
Registered Charity Number 1187611.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
Thanks to National Lottery players, The Food Foundation, alongside Veg Power CIC and Kent University Student Union, will encourage people across the UK to eat sustainable food sources such as beans, lentils and pulses, as a way of helping them take achievable and affordable climate action.

The project has received almost £1.4m from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK’s largest funder of community activity, and aims to reduce the impact of diets on greenhouse gas emissions, whilst creating a long-term shift towards healthier and more sustainable dietary habits. With the support of local and national food businesses, activities will include a digital campaign to engage the public.

This grant comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change and involve more people in climate action.  

This forms part of one of the funder’s four key missions in its 2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’ - supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable. On top of encouraging participation from national food businesses, other activities include a schools' programme and outreach, running student focused activities with Kent Students’ Union, and working with Birmingham City Council to activate the campaign at a local level.

This campaign has received a three-year grant of almost £1.4m from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK’s largest funder of community activity, and aims to reduce the impact of diets on greenhouse gas emissions, whilst creating a long-term shift towards healthier and more sustainable dietary habits. 

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BEANS?
Our campaign refers to beans as a short-hand for talking about all pulses, beans, lentils and legumes given the limited familiarity of these terms among the public. While the public facing part of our campaign is focused on pulses, we include both pulses and other legumes within the more ambitious business commitments to our programme in order to allow for greater innovation and opportunity. Peanuts are excluded from our campaign given their nutrient profile is more in keeping with the nut category where they are typically categorised.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL LOTTERY COMMUNITY FUND
We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.  We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.  

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.  

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together  
2. Be environmentally sustainable  
3. Help children and young people thrive  
4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/

ABOUT VEG POWER
Veg Power is a not-for-profit alliance dedicated to improving children’s diet by making healthy, sustainable eating irresistible. Through collaboration, creative communications, and real-world insight Veg Power gets kids excited about fruit, vegetables and beans and empowers parents to make healthy eating easy. Our current campaigns include:

- Eat Them to Defeat Them the multi-award winning campaign which has seen 1.8m children eating more veg. 

- Growing to Love, a tomato growing project for 30,000 primary school children across the UK in partnership with Aardman Animation 

- Attack the Snack to encourage children to eat more fruit and veg snacks in partnership with Netmums 

- #SeasonalVeg social media influencer campaigns to increase consumption of British vegetables