The multi-partner BeanMeals project led by the Environmental Change Institute’s (ECI) has been featured in a new themed issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, to explore how global food systems must change to safeguard both human health and environmental sustainability.
The issue, titled Transforming terrestrial food systems for human and planetary health tackles one of the most urgent challenges facing society: the transformation of the global food system, which is increasingly linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, and rising rates of obesity. Current trends in food demand and dietary habits are placing unsustainable pressure on both healthcare systems and the planet.
The BeanMeals project explored how UK-grown beans could drive healthier diets, lower environmental impacts, and support local enterprise. Using two new bean varieties bred for UK growing conditions, the project trialled bean-based meals in six primary schools and ten households, alongside an educational curriculum and even a board game, Beantopia, co-designed with children.
Unlike conventional “farm-to-fork” approaches, BeanMeals applied a “fork-to-farm” systems thinking framework: starting with what healthier, more sustainable meals could look like and working backwards to reshape supply chains, enterprise opportunities, and farm production. The team modelled scenarios to double, quadruple, or six-fold current UK bean consumption, and assessed the resulting health, economic, and environmental outcomes. Their findings show beans could significantly boost fibre and protein intake, reduce reliance on meat, and improve soil health—while also presenting challenges around land use, procurement, and scaling enterprise.
The BeanMeals project shows how simple ideas—like putting more UK-grown beans on the menu—can spark fresh thinking about food, farming, and health.
BeanMeals project lead, Dr John Ingram, Senior Researcher at the ECI, said:
Beans are more than just a nutritious food: they sit at the intersection of health, farming, and sustainability. They enrich soils, support local enterprise, and offer low-carbon protein alternatives—yet their potential extends even further, with implications for energy, transport, and the wider bioeconomy. Featuring BeanMeals in this Royal Society issue underlines how such a simple crop can spark systems thinking about some of the biggest challenges we face.”
Other papers featured in the issue cover a wide range of approaches to food system transformation, from regenerative agriculture and urban farming to reverse-engineering food systems and developing new health indices. Together, the 14 contributions highlight the depth and breadth of research being carried out to address systemic change in how food is produced, distributed, and consumed.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, published by the Royal Society, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scientific journals.
Read more on BeanMeals in the special issue.