Bournemouth University students joined forces with the BU Sustainability Team, BU academics with expertise in psychology, nutrition and consumer behaviour, and our catering provider Chartwells to run BU’s first ever ‘Bean Week’ to promote the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating beans.
Running from Monday 9 to Friday 13 February, Bean Week was timed to align with World Pulses Day, the global campaign led by the United Nations to raise awareness of the vital role pulses play in sustainable food systems, food security, nutrition and climate resilience.
Despite the clear benefits of bean consumption, research shows that most people do not eat as many beans as they should. While some people may be reluctant to eat beans due to fear of bloating, not getting enough protein, and the perception that beans lack flavour, Bean Week aimed to bust these myths and showcase to our students and staff how delicious bean dishes can be.
Bean Week featured a special bean menu in our main catering outlet in the Fusion Building. The dishes were designed to appeal to a wide range of dietary preferences, focusing on adding beans to meals rather than excluding animal products. Examples of dishes served included vegetable red kidney bean chilli, chicken and butter bean curry, and vegetarian or pork sausages with edamame beans.
Chartwells Head Chef, Marcus Blyth, said “It’s been fantastic to support this campaign and overwatch the growth and popularity when it comes to consuming healthier foods such as beans”.
Students studying MSc Nutrition & Behaviour, BSc Nutrition and BSc Psychology supported Bean Week through community engagement. They hosted a stand in the catering area, handing out free samples of the bean dishes available for our students and staff to try something new. These interactions created opportunities for meaningful conversations about the health, cost and environmental benefits of beans. The students also ran a social media campaign featuring bean recipes, fun bean facts, and highlighting students’ favourite bean dishes from across the world.
MSc Nutrition & Behaviour student, Miranda Gutierrez, said “Co-creating the Bean Week social media campaign was such a joy! Watching students stop by the stand, try something new, and then jump onto our posts proved that a little bean‑powered positivity can go a long way in inspiring healthier, more sustainable choices.”
Bean Week also provided an opportunity to conduct research into eating behaviours. The study explored whether customers who purchased a bean-containing dish would buy it again. Research students will look primarily at sales data. The students also supported data collection by handing out ‘bean counters’ to gather feedback from customers. Over two days of data collection:
Of the 50 customers who purchased a hot dish containing beans, 44 (88%) said they would buy it again.
- Of the six customers who purchased a bean-based salad, five (83%) said they would buy it again.
- These early findings suggest strong acceptance of bean-based meals among the BU community.
BU Professor in Psychology, Katherine Appleton, said “Beans are nutritious, sustainable, and low-cost, but many people don’t consume them because they don’t know how to cook them, nor make them taste nice. Catering outlets, where tasty dishes are made for consumers, provide great opportunities for encouraging consumption, and our data show just what can be done.”
Find out more about what BU are doing to promote food sustainability on our website.
Explore more BU research by the Centre for Sustainable & Socially Responsible Consumption.
For any questions, please email [email protected]
