Veg Power and Food Foundation campaign hopes to eradicate need to hide beans on childrens’ plates, as bean and pulse sales rise in 2026
Industry campaign Veg Power and charity The Food Foundation have launched a new ‘Feel the Fibre’ campaign in a bid to close the nation’s fibre gap.
The new campaign forms part of the wider Bang In Some Beans campaign launched in November 2025 with the initiative of doubling the UK’s bean and pulse consumption.
UK bean and pulse sales have already jumped 7.3 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to data from NielsenIQ, an indication that dietary habits are shifting.
However, 86 per cent of primary school-aged children currently do not meet their 20g daily fibre target, according to government research.
As part of the new campaign, a nationwide ‘Discover Beans’ schools’ programme will provide thousands of children with a toolkit of materials and resources including curriculum-supportive lesson plans, activities and presentation.
By the end of the programme, beans will no longer need to be hidden on menus and plates and will be accepted in schools and at home, the campaign states.
‘Feel the Fibre’ will also feature a podcast mini series called Family Food Made Easy hosted by Louise Burke and sponsored by Sainsbury’s. The postcast will be supported by Netmums, Good Food and First News.
Each episode will focus on how to integrate more fibre into everyday family meals, featuring expert voices and Bang In Some Beans ambassadors.
Burke said: “We speak to top experts so you don’t have to spend hours searching or scrolling for the right advice. It’s about small, realistic changes that can help families get more fibre without reinventing dinner.”
Moreover, a wide-reaching social media campaign for parents will feature experts and celebrities such nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, Professor Giles Yeo, TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and TV presenter Sam Nixon. Social content will provide recipe inspiration, budget saving advice and hacks.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall said: “This campaign is about helping families see beans not as an afterthought, but as an everyday hero of the kitchen. That’s such an important message, and it’s wonderful to see it gaining the momentum it deserves.”
The new campaign is also hoped to support the transition to the government’s new school food standards, which will require school menus to contain lentils and chickpeas at least once a week.
Dan Parker, chief executive of Veg Power, highlighted the progress already made by the wider Bang In Some Beans campaign but sets out longer-term aims. “To truly shift British food culture, our goal must be turning beans and pulses into everyday dietary staples rather than a short-lived trend,” he said.
Rallying together across the supply chain will be critical, he continued. “Rather than relying on a flashy advertising blitz, our strategy focuses on aligning the entire food system simultaneously—rallying everyone behind beans and pulses while capitalising on the growing consumer focus on fibre.”
