Full of Beans is a collaborative campaign between Glasgow Food Policy Partnership and Glasgow Community Food Network with the aim of getting people in Glasgow eating more beans.

This city-wide campaign aims to promote greater consumption of beans and pulses as part of a healthy, planet-friendly diet in Glasgow. It will do so by: 

1. sharing information on the environmental and health benefits of growing and eating beans; 
2. creating Glasgow-specific information on how to grow and cook beans;  
3. encouraging caterers to include more bean-based dishes on their menus;  
4. creating opportunities for different sectors and the general public to participate. 
5. involving various growers across the city and encouraging people to grow and save seeds of interesting bean varieties

If that sounds good, you can find lots more about beans and how to get involved below.

Check out our Beans Blog Posts, Events, Resources and FAQs by clicking on each bean-y heading:

Why the focus on beans? 

Beans provide a plethora of both health and environmental benefits and are a cost-effective ingredient in filling and delicious meals.  

• are fibre-rich, keeping you fuller for longer, as well as helping keep your gut and heart healthy 
• are a good source of plant based protein, and can be used as an alternative to animal products or to bulk up meat-based dishes 
• have an ability to fix nitrogen, which enriches the soil and can help other plants flourish around beans. 
• don’t require a lot of water to grow and sequester carbon in the soil, making them a low-carbon food choice. 

Read more about the benefits of eating and growing beans here. 

Communications Toolkit – includes everything you need if you would like to be part of Glasgow’s Full of Beans! Campaign: infographic posts, newsletter text, and event image templates.

If you’re interested in growing your own beans, check out this Growing Guide from Glasgow Seed Library with all the key information about growing the beans which do best in Scotland. If you’d prefer a text only version, you can find one here.

Full of Beans Podcast Episode

Scottish Government Endorsement

The Scottish Government endorses Glasgow’s ‘Full of Beans’ campaign. 

Incorporating more beans is a tasty and cost-effective way to a more nutritious diet and supports a sustainable food system. This campaign aims to encourage people to grow and eat more beans, get more beans on the menu and in our local shops. The campaign aligns with Scotland’s Good Food Nation ambition for everyone in Scotland to eat well with reliable access to safe, nutritious, affordable, sustainable, and age and culturally appropriate food. 

We hope many people and organisations across Glasgow will get involved with this innovative campaign.

For the month of March, restaurants and other catering venues are encouraged to put beans on the menu, linking up with the #Beansonthemenu Challenge by the global Beans is How campaign by the Sustainable Development Goals 2 Advocacy Hub. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out our callout to chefs below.