Food Service Collaboration aimed at offering delicious new bean-centered options 

Singapore’s world‑class food scene is set for a nutritious and delicious upgrade with the announcement of #BeansOnTheMenu Singapore, a year‑long drive (May 2025 – April 2026) that calls on hotels, restaurants, cafés, and food service from schools to hospitals to add bean dishes to every menu whilst tracking their impact.

Launching at Pulses 25, the premier global gathering for the pulses industry, on 22 May 2025, and co‑led by Beans is How, the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC), and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the campaign turns a humble ingredient into a strategic solution for the city to celebrate its thriving foodie scene while achieving its most pressing food‑system goals. 

As part of the campaign, food service organisations, including restaurants, cafés, hotels, and caterers, will make a public pledge to:

• Add at least one clearly labelled pulse‑based dish to their menus, with a preference for main dishes
• Track sales or volume data to demonstrate consumer uptake.
• Share success stories that inspire peers across the city‑state.

Key hospitality partners already on board include SUPERSIMPLE, a Singapore-based café brand known for its fresh, whole-food menus and sustainability focus, and abillion, a global platform that connects consumers with plant-based dining options and empowers restaurants to feature more sustainable, climate-friendly meals. More local food service providers are expected to join in the lead-up to the campaign launch.

What’s at stake for Singapore?

By increasing the visibility and desirability of pulses, like beans, dried peas, and lentils, the initiative aims to help local food service operators achieve bold nutrition and climate goals while offering customers a locally adaptable plant-based protein option. Their many benefits include:

• Culinary relevance: Pulses are versatile, and their varietal diversity makes room for culinary innovation. This campaign helps celebrate cultural traditions and reinvent them.
•  Public health: Beans are high in protein, fibre, iron, and other essential micronutrients, while also being naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free – making them an ideal fit for Singapore’s dietary and preventive health goals.
• Food security: Pulses can diversify Singapore’s heavily imported food supply (90%), arriving in secure shelf-stable packaging. They are also affordable and support the livelihoods of the most vulnerable people around the world.
• Climate action: Pulses like beans have a low environmental footprint. They are sustainable – using less water than most other protein sources. They naturally enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen – making them one of the most climate-resilient crops. 

Stakeholder roundtable (Pulses 25)

The initiative will be officially introduced at a Stakeholder Roundtable during Pulses 25. Leaders from hotels, restaurants, cafés (HoReCa), retail, policy, and media will announce first‑mover pledges and finalise campaign planning.

“Beans are a gateway to transforming food systems – from the soil to the plate. They support dietary diversity, reduce environmental impact, and nourish communities in ways that are affordable and accessible. #BeansOnTheMenu Singapore celebrates culinary creativity while advancing a future where sustainable, delicious food is the norm – not the exception.”

–        Paul Newnham, Chief Executive Officer, SDG2 Advocacy Hub 

“The Global Pulse Confederation is committed to positioning pulses and beans as a solution provider to some of the biggest challenges facing food systems. We are thrilled to be partnering on the #BeansOnTheMenu campaign to bring the focus to Singapore, which coincides with our annual Pulses 25 convention, bringing stakeholders from across the pulses value chain to connect and share ideas on how to increase pulse production and consumption worldwide.” 

–        Vijay Iyengar, President, Global Pulse Confederation

“Sustainability is a collective responsibility – one that unites farmers, agriculturists, consumers and every player in the food value chain, from F&B operators to chefs and cooks. At SUPERSIMPLE, our commitment goes beyond serving delicious, wholesome, and nutrient-rich Protein Bowls and Salads. We believe that what’s good for you should also be good for the planet. With #BeansOnTheMenu, we are proudly adding more pulses to our offerings – delivering better choices today for a more sustainable tomorrow.”

–        Jasper Jek, Managing Partner and Executive Chef, Super Simple 

How to get involved?

Media, food‑service operators, suppliers, and community organisations can register interest or request a toolkit by emailing:

• Shreya Arora – Campaign Officer, Beans is How, SDG2 Advocacy Hub
  shreya@sdg2advocacyhub.org
•  Lara Gilmour – Director of Policy & Sustainability, Global Pulse Confederation
  lara@globalpulses.com

About the partners

Beans  is  How is a global campaign to fix the future by doubling global consumption of beans, peas, lentils, and other pulses by 2028. Mobilised by the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, it is backed by 120+ coalition partners across 70 countries.

#BeansOnTheMenu is a flagship initiative that encourages food‑service providers —restaurants, caterers, cafés, schools, hospitals, and others — to add and highlight at least one bean dish on their menus, track sales, and share stories, thus making beans a visible, desirable choice whilst showcasing their culinary versatility.

Further reading: www.beansonthemenu.com

The Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) represents all segments of the global pulse value chain—from growers and researchers to traders, processors, and consumers—advocating for pulses worldwide. The GPC’s Pulses 25 convention is taking place from May 20-22, 2025, at the Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, bringing together the entire industry to network, share information, and collaborate to increase pulse production and consumption worldwide.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) champions the tourism sector as a key economic pillar and promotes Singapore as a vibrant, inspiring destination; its sustainability and culinary programmes make it a natural partner for #BeansOnTheMenu.