Happy Beansday

Humane World for Animals works around the globe to tackle the root causes of animal cruelty and suffering to create permanent change. 

Billions of animals are impacted by our food systems, and a major part of our work involves shifting those systems toward more humane models.

Humane World for Animals works with government institutions, universities, schools, hospitals, corporate cafeterias and food service companies to help shift towards a more plant-forward, climate-friendly global food system by expanding plant-based purchasing. In addition, we work to improve the welfare of farmed animals and end their intensive cage confinement.

Absolutely. Beans are one of the most budget-friendly protein sources you'll find at the grocery store.  

• In the U.S., for example, dried beans can cost as little as 10 to 20 cents per serving, compared to 80 cents to over $2 per serving for meat.  
• Even canned beans remain less expensive than animal protein.  
• A single pound of dried beans yields multiple meals, helping stretch your food budget further.  

Bottom line: beans deliver protein, fiber and nutrients at a fraction of the cost of meat. We hope that Beansday will inspire people who love animals and delicious food to explore more plant-based proteins!

Beans are a climate-friendly protein choice. Increasing your consumption of plant-based foods is one of the easiest ways to shrink your carbon footprint and build a more sustainable food system.  

• Animal-based proteins generally have a bigger footprint than plant-based foods like beans. Chicken, for example, generates roughly 6 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than beans.  
• Beef production generates roughly 40 times more emissions than bean production. 
• Beans also require less land and water, making them a more sustainable food choice.

Every meal is a choice—and choosing beans and other plant-based proteins is a simple, powerful way to help animals. 

Swapping in beans once a week is a great small step, since shifting toward plant-based eating reduces demand for keeping and killing animals for food. It's an easy way to make a more compassionate choice. 

More than 97.6 billion land animals are kept and killed for food each year, causing immense animal suffering; billions of those animals endure extreme confinement in cages or crates so small they can barely move, or they have been bred to grow so big so fast, that even walking is painful. 

Animal agriculture is also responsible for at least 16.5% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions globally. It also uses around 83% of the world’s farmland while only providing 37% of the world’s protein and is a major driver of deforestation, species extinction, land degradation, pollution and exhaustion of water resources. 

There are also enormous human health benefits to cutting meat. Overconsumption of animal products, in particular processed meat, is associated with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, type-2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Plant-based diets are consistently linked to lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure; lower risk of death from heart disease; lower overall cancer rates; lower rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity. 

The need to reduce animal suffering and the environmental and human health impacts of our diets has never been more urgent. 

If you’re already plant-based, hurray and thank you! If you’re not, taking small steps like participating in Beansday in a great way to start. Beansday creates a simple and healthy weekly habit that will help spare animals’ lives. Every Wednesday, people are encouraged to swap meat for beans—one small weekly habit that can create meaningful change for animals, our planet and our health. The more people discover how delicious beans and other plant-based foods can be, the easier it will be to make more choices that help animals.