Spell the BEANS: Food on the table

As Thanksgiving festivities were gearing up this year, things were also heating up at COP27 where world leaders and advocates convened, discussed and debated collective action to prevent catastrophic climate change induced by human activity. On the table is also the acknowledgment that the challenge cannot be solved without massive changes to the world’s food systems. Afterall, the global production of food is responsible for?a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity, with raising animals for meat being responsible for the majority of this share. Pasture and cropland occupy around 50% of the planet’s habitable land and use about?70% of fresh water supplies.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food and agriculture has a critical role to play if we are to reach the Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. A large body of scientific research has suggested a food systems approach that incorporates actions in three areas to meet global climate commitments, halt biodiversity loss and ensure food security: a shift towards healthier and more plant-rich diets, adoption of nature-positive food production practices, and reduction of food loss and waste.

Meanwhile in other news the world’s population reached?8 billion, highlighting massive growth in the last few decades and the decades to come, but also raising concerns about food scarcity. "We are on the way to a raging food catastrophe," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders at the recent?G20 Summit as well. "People in five separate places are facing famine." Food security/access was also among the top 5 impacts of climate change according to the global public surveyed for the 2022 3M State of Science Index.?

As the season of giving thanks is upon us – simply stated I am thankful for food. ??

Meat of the matter

While people in parts of the world having barely enough to survive – other parts have overconsumption. Overconsumption of food, protein and specifically animal protein. The issue isn’t consumption – the issue is overconsumption. On an average, overconsumption has the greatest combined negative impact on environmental and human health per scientists, with ruminant meat production having an environmental impact 100 times greater than a plant-based diet. Overconsumption of meat is defined as consuming more than the recommended daily intake. High-income countries are currently consuming double this, surpassing nutritional requirements with many lower/middle income countries predicted to follow this trend over the coming decades.

Dietary practices become embedded within complex cultural, economic, and political systems, and shifts to reduce overconsumption are difficult to steer without sustained, context-specific multidimensional approaches. Red meat intake in North America, Latin America and Europe is 300–600% higher than daily recommended levels; poultry and egg intake in these regions also exceed recommended levels, whereas intake of fruits, vegetables and plant-sourced protein (e.g. from legumes) is approximately half of the recommended levels.

Bean counter

This month a campaign called Beans is How?was launched in a bid to double bean consumption by 2028. This new initiative with the tag line “We can help fix the future with beans,” is coordinated by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2) Advocacy Hub – and it promotes beans?as a “unique solution” to the climate, health, and economic challenges facing the planet. The coalition of environmental groups claims that doubling bean consumption could help protect the planet and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Legumes have long been identified by as a good choice for both people and the planet, and are affordable, nutritious and with low-impact on the ecosystem. In particular, given their high protein content, they are a plant-based substitute, and their nitrogen-fixing abilities, reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers. Around the world there are thousands of varieties of beans, peas, pulses, lentils and legumes that are already a staple at dinner tables around the globe.

Lentils, legumes, pulses and other members of the leguminous family such as beans and peas, are pretty much considered a superfood. (Legume is an umbrella term that includes beans and pulses. All beans are considered a legume). They are?rich?in many micronutrients, including phytonutrients and?minerals. They are also high in protein and?complex carbohydrates and are good sources of?B vitamins?and minerals like?iron,?magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Lentils are also unusually high in polyphenols, which are powerful phytonutrients that perform a host of positive functions in the body. The campaign suggests that if there is collective focus on this one product family, beans, that are good for us and the environment, we can really make a difference and they are seeking help to make it happen.

Keen as a bean

The global population is projected to grow to nearly 10 billion people by 2050. The world needs to close what experts call a staggering “food gap” with the expected calorie demands. ?A gap that stems primarily from population growth and changing diets. Shifting people’s dietary patterns and preferences is a difficult challenge. Like other public health interventions, dietary intervention effectiveness is highly context-specific, and barriers and enablers depend on local environments and the socio-demographic variables need to be acknowledged. In reading more about the topic, I came across the impressive work by World Resources Institute scientists, on a framework to change food purchase and consumption behaviors termed the “Shift Wheel.” The propose that for any interventions to be effective for the consumer to change their behavior, they should address one or more of four complementary strategies.

The four elements center around: the need to sell a compelling benefit, need to minimize disruption, while maximizing awareness and help to shift norms. This entails developing a compelling narrative around taste, health, cost etc. of the alternative while being readily accessible and affordable. These strategies need to be accompanied with marketing tactics such as memorable advertising campaigns, visibility in menus, enhanced appearance and packaging and location within stores. ?The more consumers see, hear or think of a product, the greater the chance they will consider purchasing it. Often what people eat is highly influenced by cultural environment and social norms. Informing and educating consumers, along with efforts to make the preferred food more socially desirable can influence or change the underlying norms that contribute to people’s purchasing decisions.

As I think about it more, these elements are perhaps useful in any situation where a change in behavior is desired. Let’s spell the BEANS:

Benefit ?????– publicize advantages

Ease ?????????– minimize disruption

Awareness – maximize visibility

Norm ????????– socialize behavior

Sustain ?????– contextualize change

This approach also resonates with the SHIFT framework?based on the most effective ways to influence consumers to act more sustainably, drawing largely upon psychology and behavioral economics research. This framework proposes that people are more likely to have pro-environmental behaviors when the message or context leverages the following factors: Social influence, Habit formation, Individual self, Feelings and cognition, and Tangibility.

Hill of beans

Coincidentally, another article this month highlighted “bean hesitancy,” a term coined by researchers at the Berkeley Food Institute to signify the reluctance of Americans towards eating more beans. In their words:

"We don't need to research what they do in the soil — there's mountains of research proving that. We don't need to research what they do for the human body — there's mountains of research proving that. We don't need to research how many ways there are to cook it, because there's mountains of cookbooks also proving that. But we do need to understand what is this hesitancy among Americans to eat beans...” That’s the hill we need to climb according to the experts.

Widespread adoption of beans face headwinds of the fear of flatulence – despite the fact that it is a normal everyday bodily function. Research has shown that people's concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated, but the blemished reputation, largely due to social conditioning, continues. Moreover, most people don’t realize that the peanut butter that is routinely consumed is a legume butter. Peanuts ARE legumes! Also, it is beef, pork, fish, and poultry that are rich in?sulfur, which can actually be?turned into foul smelling hydrogen sulfide by?gut bacteria.

Bean hesitant? That too must pass.

This Thanksgiving, let's be thankful for food, and grateful for beans, so we can all be hopeful for the future.