Dear Event Organizer,
Across the globe, 3.1 billion people do not have access to an affordable and healthy diet, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report. Meanwhile, a third of all food is wasted. Over the past year, global temperatures have shattered previous heat records, and climate-fueled extreme weather-related disasters have increased, causing economic damage and the loss of human lives. Food, fuel, and fertilizer prices have skyrocketed up to tenfold in the world’s most marginalized communities since the start of the war in Ukraine, and the cost of a healthy diet increased globally by 6.7 percent between 2019 and 2021, the SOFI report states.
How can we enjoy meals that don’t cost the Earth? How can we create a climate-smart shift in farming, and support a healthy and fair food system?
Beans are nutritious, climate-smart, affordable, versatile, culturally relevant, and delicious! Tiny but mighty, charming but disruptive we believe beans can help fix the future.
NYC Climate week and the upcoming 78th United Nations General Assembly are about raising awareness and ambition for climate action. One action you can take is to put beans on the menu—and the agenda—helping to raise awareness about the benefits of beans as a nutritious, climate-smart, affordable, culturally relevant and delicious choice to benefit both people and planet. They are a simple yet powerful solution to the global climate, health and the cost‑of‑living crisis.
Beans is How is a campaign to double global bean consumption by 2028. We are asking you to join the Bean Menu Challenge, an initiative encouraging restaurants, caterers, cafés, schools, and other food providers to include #beansonthemenu.
Throughout the NYC Climate week, we will track mentions about beans, and events that include beans on the menu, aggregating uptake in an after-action summary that is promoted across our communications platforms. We also plan to feature organizations which take the pledge to put #beansonthemenu at future events, ensuring this is not a one-off moment, but a movement.
Join us to double global bean consumption by 2028 and put #beansonthemenu!
Visit www.beansishow.org/menuchallenge to learn more.
Endorsing Individuals:
- Michiel Bakker – VP Global Workplace Programs, Google
- Amelia Ekus – Director of Innovation, ISS Guckenheimer
- Marcus Horril – Research and Communications Officer, University of Oxford
- Toni Gam – Marketing and Communications Manager, Grains and Nutrition Council
- Maisie Ganzler, Chief Brand and Strategy Officer, Bon Appetit Management Company
- Kristin Gutekunst – Beans is How Project Lead, SDG2 Advocacy Hub
- Vijay Iyengar – President Global Pulse Confederation | Chairman and Founder Agrocorp
- Michael Kelly – CEO & Founder, Grow It Yourself
- Dr. Andy Jarvis – Director Future of Food, Bezos Earth Fund
- Sarah LaHaye – Director of Sustainable Food Systems Innovations & Partnerships, One Acre Fund
- Kathy La Macchia – General Manager, Grains and Nutrition Council
- Brent Loken – Global Food Scientist Lead, WWF-UK
- Ania Madalinska – Head of Sourcing and Sustainability, Karana
- Mohabe Marwa – Program Coordinator, Human dignity and Environment Care Foundation (HUDEFO)
- Paul Newnham – Executive Director & Chief Bean Officer, SDG2 Advocacy Hub
- Theresa Pham – Nutrition Manager, Grains and Nutrition Council
- Sarah Pima – Executive Director, Human Dignity and Environment Care Foundation (HUDEFO)
- Jean Claude Rubyogo – Bean Science & Innovation Advisory Council Co-Chair | Global Bean Program Leader and Pan-Africa Bean Alliance (PABRA) Director
- Dr. Gunhild Stordalen – Founder and Executive Chair, EAT
- Lesley Syke – Founder – Primary Beans
- Katherine Yaphe – Co-Founder, Beanstory
Endorsing Organizations:
- Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
- Beanstory
- The Bean Institute
- Bezos Earth Fund
- Bon Appetit Management Company
- Chefs’ Manifesto
- EAT
- Food at Google
- The Global FoodBanking Network
- Global Pulse Confederation
- Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council
- GIY (Grow It Yourself)
- Human Dignity and Environment Care Foundation (HUDEFO)
- ISS Guckenheimer
- Karana
- One Acre Fund
- Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)
- Primary Beans
- ProVeg International
- SDG2 Advocacy Hub
- Stronger Foundations for Nutrition
- The University of Oxford, Environmental Change Institute
- WWF-UK
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Photo courtesy of v2osk, Unsplash
