On May 22, 2025, leaders from the pulse industry, culinary innovators, food service operators, and sustainability champions gathered for the launch of #BeansOnTheMenu Singapore, a bold new initiative to make bean-based dishes a visible, desirable, and delicious feature of the city’s food landscape.
Hosted by Beans is How, the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC), and the Singapore Tourism Board, a roundtable brought together stakeholders to spark dialogue and action on how beans – affordable, nutritious and climate-smart – can play a greater role in food systems and food service.
Walking the Talk – With Beans on the Plate
GPC, who hosted the roundtable at the Pulses25 conference, welcomed guests to an event that “walked the talk” by serving up pulses at lunch.
Key Themes from the Roundtable:
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Education is key. Singaporeans may be aware of health benefits, but more awareness is needed on versatility and taste. Chefs like Shalu Asnani of Little Green Kitchen are leading the way by incorporating beans into everything from Indian mains to Italian desserts.
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Fibre is the next protein. As global consumers obsess over protein counts, several speakers noted the opportunity to reposition fibre-rich beans as the new nutritional star.
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Cultural integration matters. From hawker centres to Channel 8 cooking shows, there’s appetite to embed beans into familiar formats.
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Let’s think big. Ideas included a “Blue Zone” menu for longevity, integrating beans into hospital meals, and linking the campaign to Singapore’s 60th birthday celebrations this August with 60 bean-based dishes across venues.
Why Beans, Why Now?
Vijay Iyengar, President of the Global Pulse Confederation, emphasized that beans are a powerful, low-cost tool in the fight against climate change. He touched upon pulses being a simple, accessible solution, as dietary change is something every person can do. This is within reach—and delivers results.
He also noted that Asia’s rising incomes are shifting diets toward more animal protein. He stressed the need to balance that shift. Singapore can lead the way by showcasing how plant-based proteins like beans are nutritious, affordable, and culturally resonant.
Singapore’s Ecosystem Advantage
He Weiwei, Head of Commercial at Nurasa, highlighted how Singapore’s innovation ecosystem is already working to transform beans into convenient, appealing formats—like plant-based meat made from pulse protein powder— bringing them to consumers through retail and food service channels.
With only 1% of daily energy intake from pulses in ASEAN, there’s massive potential for impact, she noted. Especially with an aging population and a fibre gap—beans are the ideal solution.
Singapore offers a unique launchpad for this campaign:
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A vibrant food culture rooted in diverse cuisines that use diverse bean and pulse varieties.
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A commitment to nutrition innovation through the “30×30” local production goal, aims to locally produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030, and the Healthier SG initiative that shifts the focus toward preventive health through diet, creating strong policy levers to promote plant-based, nutrient-dense foods like beans.
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A globally connected food system that enables ideas to scale quickly. As a major global logistics hub with world-class food safety standards and cross-border innovation platforms, Singapore is well-positioned to pilot scalable food innovations and influence regional consumption trends.
A Global Network, Local Momentum
The Beans is How campaign has already mobilized over 120 partners in 70 countries, from startups to hospitality giants. Paul Newnham shared global case studies—including BaxterStorey, which trained chefs and saw a 19.6% increase in pulse purchases in just six months, and New York City’s Climate Week, which engaged restaurants and city agencies to promote beans as part of climate action between 2023-2024. Beans at now found widely on menus around NYC according to the NY Times.
Paul Newnham, CEO of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, opened the session by emphasising that this is the beginning of a broader conversation, and more importantly, sustained action on how to get more beans on the menu, not only in Singapore but globally.
