Boarding schools serve hundreds of meals each week. When you multiply that across a full academic year, even small menu shifts can deliver significant financial and environmental impact.
The Food Foundation’s “Bang in Some Beans” campaign highlights the environmental, nutritional and cost benefits of something long championed by allmanhall: the humble bean.
At a time when food budgets are squeezed and meat prices remain volatile, beans make clear economic sense. Beans are priced at a fraction of the cost of equivalent meat protein, while also delivering additional fibre and valuable micronutrients.
A 400g tin of kidney beans provides around 20g of protein, delivering approximately 40% of daily protein requirements for teenage girls and over a third for teenage boys. A 100g chicken breast, however, offers slightly more protein but provides no fibre and typically costs considerably more.
For boarding schools balancing nutrition, cost control and sustainability targets, beans sit at the intersection of all three.
Producing 1kg of beef can emit around 60kg of CO₂e, compared with roughly 1kg for black beans. Increasing pulse usage supports Scope 3 carbon reduction, reduces reliance on volatile meat markets, and strengthens supply chain resilience. Beans are also naturally low-waste ingredients with long shelf lives and versatile menu applications.
Nutritionally, they provide fibre, plant-based protein and key micronutrients such as iron, magnesium and folate, supporting student health, wellbeing and concentration.
Through allmanhall’s procurement expertise, Hero Recipes and menu guidance, we help schools introduce blended dishes, plant-forward options and practical swaps that work in busy boarding environments.
If you’re exploring how to make your school menus more sustainable without compromising on cost or nutrition, join allmanhall’s upcoming webinar on 17 March, where we’ll be sharing practical strategies for building more sustainable school menus.
Sometimes, it’s just about banging in some beans.
