'Make beans sexy': New campaign group promoting the environmental and health benefits of beans

Could beans save the world?

The humble legume is already a staple at dinner tables around the globe.

But a coalition of environmental groups claims that doubling bean consumption could help protect the planet and tackle the cost of living crisis.

The new ‘Beans is How’ initiative - coordinated by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2) Advocacy Hub - promotes the foodstuff as a “unique solution” to the climate, health, and economic challenges facing the planet.

“Everyone is worried at the moment – how can we make nutritious meals for our families when money is tight? How can we help tackle the climate crisis?” says Paul Newnham, Executive Director of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub.

"How can we do something about the 3 billion people on this planet who are malnourished?"

“Beans is How we do it.”

If you’re looking for an excuse to make yourself a plate of beans on toast, read on.

Global food production is responsible for a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity.

But not all foodstuffs are created equal. Meat accounts for 60 per cent of the food related gas total, with a single kilo of beef creating 70kg of emissions.

Cattle grazing is also a huge driver of deforestation, particularly in vulnerable ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest.

Beans release 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than some animal proteins. They also improve soil health, inputting nitrogen into the soil and reducing the need for fertiliser.

Yet on average, just 21g of pulses are eaten per person per day compared to 112g of meat.

Flipping this imbalance could reduce stress on the planet, the Beans is How campaigners insist.

“I love beans - I cook beans, I grow beans, I eat beans. I’ve never met a bean I didn’t like. They are little nuggets of greatness