Over 40 organizations, including Google, the Bezos Earth Fund, and ProVeg International, have joined forces for a new campaign called Beans is How.
Google and the Bezos Earth Fund are on the campaign’s “Bean Board”, helping to determine the steps that need to be taken, while ProVeg is raising awareness to help achieve the goals. Other organizations involved include The World Bean Council, the United Nations Foundation, and the Kraft Heinz Company.
The campaign will work to double legume consumption worldwide by 2028 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Beans release 90% fewer harmful gases than some animal-based foods. They are also a rich source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and are extremely affordable. This makes them an excellent alternative to meat, and a potential solution to the current cost of living crisis.
Worldwide, there are thousands of varieties of beans, peas, pulses, and lentils. The Beans is How campaign will boost consumption by publishing recipes featuring beans, showing people how to grow them, and challenging food service providers to include more legumes on their menus.
Nutritious and affordable
The idea that legumes could be part of the solution to the climate crisis is not a new one. In 2021, the EU-funded Smart Protein Project found that four crops could be the answer to providing sustainable proteins and increasing food security. Three of these crops were legumes — chickpeas, fava beans, and lentils.
At a conference recently held in Spain, the International Legume Society promoted legumes as a healthier and more sustainable food source, exploring innovation and optimization in value chains along with their potential in human nutrition.
“Beans really do tick all the boxes when it comes to providing nutritious, affordable, and climate-friendly meals for countries all over the world,” said Jasmijn de Boo, CEO of ProVeg. “We urgently need to scale up efforts to encourage greater consumption of beans over animal-based foods if we are to have a chance to slow climate change and prevent ecosystem collapse.”
