As the ECI’s BeanMeals project nears completion, researchers at the Environmental Change Institute reveal the significant benefits of investing in UK-grown beans. Roger Sykes, Food Systems Transformation Group Programme Manager, gives an update on the team’s work and the impact it is having…
Creating a buzz around beans
On 10 September 2024, BeanMeals, a national research project led by the ECI's Food Systems Transformation Group, drew together people from local and national government, businesses, NGOs, the NHS and other organisations to learn how UK-grown beans could be a vehicle for better food system outcomes to learn from healthier diets with lower environmental footprints to new enterprise opportunities in the supply chain.
The project, which is due to finish in November, focused on two quick-cooking navy bean varieties – Capulet and Godiva – developed for UK growing conditions by the University of Warwick.
At the event, Beyond BeanMeals, project partners from Leicester City and Leicestershire County Council spoke about how their involvement in the co-design of BeanMeals led to enhanced impacts for their respective councils. Catering and teaching staff in six schools across Leicestershire worked closely with researchers to test the uptake of beans in school meals. They also taught pupils about the health, environment and enterprise opportunities of eating more beans using a board game, Beantopia. Designed by the project, it introduced food systems at a fun level. The researchers also worked closely with the local authorities to identify barriers to and opportunities for policy change in public procurement.
John Ingram, senior researcher in the Food Systems Transformation Group at the ECI leads BeanMeals. He said:
We wanted to subvert the farm-to-fork model by starting with the consumer – in our case, this was the school children.
Our researchers have taken a wide view when examining the potential impacts of moving to bean-rich diets, not only by testing the uptake of the beans in school meals and households, but also by setting out different supply-chain models for scaling the value chain for British-grown beans and analysing whether we have the growing capacity in the UK to rely less on imported beans.
Since we started the project in May 2022, it seems that the buzz around beans has grown. We’re pleased to have played a part in increasing the understanding around how humble beans could help us achieve better food system outcomes.”
Read the report: Enhancing the Missing Middle: Pathways to scaling the value chain for British-grown beans
About BeanMeals
BeanMeals is a dynamic, collaborative research project that works backwards through the supply chain from promoting bean-based meals to bean processing and growing. Crossing research disciplines with innovation topics, the project investigates how to determine how best to bring about systemic innovation, and analyse the health, environment and enterprise benefits of the transformed system. The project has four research areas:
- Determine how to promote healthy diets with bean-based meals low in fat, salt and sugar.
- Assess how to produce and supply bean-based foods and ingredients.
- Estimate health, environmental and enterprise benefits/trade-offs of scaling UK beans.
- Understand how to design and implement ‘fork-to-farm’ systemic innovation.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Oxford, University of Hertfordshire, University of Liverpool, University of Warwick, and University of Hull. The research team pulls together expertise from areas such as food systems, agroeconomics, systemic innovation, food policy, legume breeding, public health and behaviour change. Non-academic partners in BeanMeals are 3Keel, Campden BRI, Joanne Craven, Food for Life, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council.