How to get more UK-grown beans on UK plates is the subject of a new report written by 3Keel consultants for BeanMeals, a project run by the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. 3Keel is a project partner for BeanMeals, which is investigating how to enable innovations in the UK agrifood system to make UK-grown beans a profitable ingredient in healthy, environmentally friendly food. The latest report – Enhancing the Missing Middle: Pathways to scaling the value chain for British-grown beans – looks at how investment to diversify the ways UK-grown beans reach our plates could result in a more sustainable and profitable UK agrifood system. It has been written by 3Keel’s Katie Jones Julian Cottee (former 3Keel consultant).

They analysed the ‘missing middle’ in the bean value chain – the processing, manufacturing, logistics and trade operations for beans – to identify pathways to get UK beans from form to fork. These are:

• Community Enterprise: Values- and community-led entrepreneurship to get beans from farm to fork using short food supply chains and minimal processing and packaging. Potential benefits include positive circular economy impacts, and fair prices for producers.
• Artisanal Entrepreneurs: New and innovative brand-led companies focused on value-add bean products, tapping into growing market niches focused on taste, quality and health. Potential benefits include introducing consumers to novel ways to use beans, and encouraging UK business innovation.
• Food Giants: Working with existing large-scale value chains for canned and processed foods to incorporate British-grown beans for mass-market consumers. Potential benefits incude helping the UK population to meet dietary guidelines, and offering an affordable protein not reliant on imports.

BeanMeals focuses on two quick-cooking navy bean varieties which have been developed for UK growing conditions by the University of Warwick. The Capulet and Godiva beans are suitable for a wide range of easily-prepared institutional- and home-cooked meals with lower fat, salt and sugar content.

The production of Capulet is poised to scale-up with UK-based commercial partners. This will reduce the amount of dry navy beans (used in tinned baked beans) imported from North America.

Dr John Ingram, based at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, leads the BeanMeals project. He said: “While there are barriers in each of the pathways identified in the report, the research also reveals pathway-specific enablers for innovation. UK beans can help us move towards healthier diets with lower environmental impact and, as this report shows, an increase in production has the potential to enhance local and national enterprise.

“The report identifies actors in the food system who can realise the potential benefits scaling up UK bean production, furthermore, it stresses the need for a group, consisting of those with mutual interests in the shared benefits for the UK, to co-ordinate and drive innovation to achieve collective impact.”

According to the report, the three identified pathways can and should be pursued in tandem to achieve the potential for upscaling UK beans. The study also reveals an opportunity to do ‘business as unusual’ by supporting community and entrepreneurial routes that can challenge the large-scale manufacturers. These smaller-scale routes have the potential to increase innovation, transformation, equity, place-based development and quality food-system jobs.

For the full report, visit the BeanMeals section of the ECI’s website.