Big names are the latest to sign up to support the Bang in Some Beans campaign

A series of food industry giants have joined the Bang in Some Beans campaign, which aims to double UK bean consumption by 2028.

The campaign, led by The Food Foundation and Veg Power and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, aims to promote beans to the nation as nutritional powerhouses that are a delicious source of protein, fibre and micronutrients.

This week, leading catering companies and food businesses including Compass Group UK&I, BaxterStorey and Angel Hill Food Co have announced pledges to increase their sale of beans. BaxterStorey has made the most ambitious pledge to double volume sales for all bean products over three years.

The Keen Bean Pledgers announced this week are:

  • Angel Hill Food Co: Increase volume sales for all bean products (incl composites) by 25 per cent by 2028
  • BaxterStorey: Double volume sales for all bean products by 2028
  • Compass Group UK&I: Increase the proportion of beans procured by 15 per cent by 2028
  • Field Doctor: Double volume sales for all bean products by 2028
  • Finnebrogue: Double volume sales for all bean products by 2028
  • Nursery Kitchen: Increase volume sales of beans by 75 per cent by 2028
  • Wahaca: Increase volume sales of beans by 10 per cent by 2028.

Beans are currently under consumed in the UK, the campaign noted, with the average person eating just one portion a week, despite their increasingly lauded health benefits.

However, with foodies, chefs and influencers putting out recipes to celebrate Fibre February, fibremaxxing trending on social media, and increased public awareness of the fact that only four per cent of UK adults are eating the amount of fibre needed to keep them healthy, it is believed that could all be about to change.

Businesses making their pledges this week are joining those who signed up when the campaign launched in November 2025, including Lidl GB, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Ocado, Bidfood, ISS, Waitrose and Harvester.

There are 19 Keen Bean Pledgers now signed up and a further six businesses promising to promote beans, including Samworth Bros, La Bonte Catering, Honest Bean Co, Birds Eye, Co-op and Gosh.

Spreading the word

This week’s announcement coincides with the launch of the new Bang In Some Beans mini series, from the award-winning Food Foundation podcast. The six-part series is hosted by food writer and chef Melissa Hemsley and will shed light on the many ways that beans, pulses and lentils are good for health and the planet, as well as being good news for stretched family budgets.

Over six episodes, the podcast will explore why there’s so much innovation in beans, why athletes are all over them, and how they can even support mental and hormonal health.

The first episode of the podcast explores what food businesses can do to promote healthy items such as beans to their customers, delving into the efforts Waitrose is putting into making beans more prominent in store while publishing a host of recipes in its magazine, as well as the work Tesco has been doing with influencers at Bosh! in order to improve its plant-based range and disrupt the ready meal category.

Rebecca Tobi, head of food business transformation at the Food Foundation, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see so many businesses continuing to get involved with the Bang In Some Beans campaign and our mission to get the UK eating more beans, pulses and other legumes.

”It really feels like the bean revolution is going from strength to strength at the moment – but there’s still a way to go before we see diets shifting in the UK. We’d love to see more businesses and organisations supporting the UK to bang in some beans by offering more bean options in stores, venues, and restaurants across the country.”

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