One year in, almost 50 businesses have joined the Bang In Some Beans campaign as foundation recognises Bidfood, Co-op and Bold Bean Company for ‘bean’ brilliant
The Food Foundation has said the Bang In Some Beans campaign has “gone from strength to strength” in its first year, hosting an awards ceremony at Jamie Oliver HQ on 10 November to mark the occasion.
The campaign, which is also led by Veg Power, set out to double the UK’s bean consumption by 2028, and has seen almost 50 businesses join the campaign since launching in November last year.
Over 30 businesses including Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and M&S have commited to being ‘Keen Bean Pledgers’, meaning they’ve made a sales-based commitment to boosting beans.
82 per per cent of Pledgers reported an uplift in bean sales, according to the foundation.
The foundation also announced that Greedy Futs, Greencore and Tilda Foodservice would be among the new ’Keen Bean Pledgers’ joining the campaign.
The project has recieved almost £1.4mn from The National Lottery Community Fund, the UK’s largest funder of community activity.
Government research suggests only 4 per cent of adults meet recommended daily fibre levels. The foundation has suggested that beans could help solve some of the UK’s most pressing food supply challenges amid rising food prices and mounting climate pressures.
A closer look at figures
According to the foundation, combined sales of beans, pulses, tofu and tempeh showed growth by 7.3 per cent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2025, with sales of sandwiches containing beans (pulses and legumes) showing an increase of 20 per cent.
It also revealed that #BangInSomeBeans has had over 47mn impressions on social media, with more than 1 in 4 people agreeing that the UK is talking more about beans.
According to YouGov research commissioned by the foundation, 19 per cent of people said they are eating beans two or more times a week, up from 14 per cent in 2025.
A wider lens
The campaign has also inspired the introduction of new bean-based products and dishes, the foundation added.
Contract caterer Levy have developed bean dishes for Premier League matchday menus, including a beetroot-and-bean hot dog, bean burgers and ‘beandogs’.
Savoury pastry company Walls has also added cannellini beans to their high protein scotch egg, rather than traditional baked beans.
Children have also benefited from the Discover Beans programme, which is a free primary school initiatives that aims to address the 86 per cent of UK children who do not get enough dietary fibre by introducing beans and pulses into school environments.
Recognised for ‘bean’ brilliant
The foundation’s award ceremony, hosted by chef, author and food activist Melissa Hemsley, recognised a number of businesses and individuals dedicated to increasing bean sales.
The ‘Most Valuable Bean’ Award, which celebrates individuals “going above and beyond to champion beans within their business and beyond”, went to two recipients.
Sara Occhipinti, sustainability executive at Bidfood, was recognised for getting a number of customers to sign up to the campaign and motivating chefs to cook with beans by sharing recipes at internal staff conferences.
Cate Hickey, senior policy development and campaigns manager at The Co-op, was the other recipient, and was praised for driving bean sales across point-of-sale trials, new launches and reaching 19,000 customers via an educational video.
Occhipinti said: “I’ve genuinely loved championing Bang In Some Beans and seeing the enthusiasm for the campaign grow.
“It’s such a simple idea that can make a real difference by getting more beans and pulses onto our plates,” she added.
Premium slow-cooked beans company Bold Beans Company recieved the ’Magic Bean Award’, a lifelong achievement award for outstanding commitment.
The company was praised for championing British-grown pulses, from bestselling cookbooks to their London underground campaign which featured jar-licking imagery and humorous lines about the extreme lengths consumers go to for beans.
Beth Latham, head of category and strategic projects at Bold Beans Co, highlighted the campaign’s power to bring the industry together. “Brands, retailers, food service, restaurants - everyone has a part to play if we’re going to genuinely change how much the UK eats beans,” she said.
“This isn’t about one single brand trying to do better. It’s about all of us pulling in the same direction, and that’s where real momentum comes from and what makes it so inspiring,” she continued.
Other winners included the Powys/Birmingham Supply Chain Pilot with the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF), as well as sandwich chain Subway.
