UK Parliament could cut £216,000 from food bill by putting more beans on the menu

The UK Parliament could save an estimated £216,000 (US$289,000) a year in ingredient costs by replacing 30% of the meat, fish and shellfish it buys with plant protein staples, according to research commissioned by Humane World for Animals UK.

• The analysis estimates annual ingredient savings of £138,000 (US$185,000) in the Commons and £78,000 (US$105,000) in the Lords.
• Recipes built around beans, lentils, tofu and nuts delivered savings, while a comparable switch to manufactured substitutes increased purchasing costs.
• The figures use supplier list prices rather than Parliament’s actual purchasing prices and exclude labor, energy and waste.

Economists Griffin Carpenter and Artūrs Kaņepājs examined parliamentary purchasing records released under Freedom of Information, alongside menus and sales data. Their report, launched at a House of Commons event on October 21, found that more than 92% of protein-rich food procured came from animal sources. Whole food and minimally processed plant proteins accounted for less than 8%.

The purchasing records cover the 2024-25 financial year, when the Commons bought 96 metric tons of meat, fish and shellfish and the Lords bought 36 metric tons. The Commons purchased about 20 metric tons of raw chicken cuts, compared with 954kg of tofu. In the Lords, purchases included roughly three metric tons of bacon, gammon and ham, against 2kg of seitan.

The researchers compared replacing animal ingredients with manufactured substitutes against redesigning dishes around pulses, tofu, tempeh and nuts. The choice substantially changed the financial result.

Purchase costing suggested savings of 57p (US$0.76) for every £1 (US$1.34) spent on meat, fish and shellfish replaced with plant protein staples. Recipe costing put the saving at 50p (US$0.67). In the Lords, ingredients for an average animal-based dish cost £2.04 (US$2.73) per serving, compared with £1.42 (US$1.90) for a redesigned plant-based dish.

By contrast, replacing 30% of animal proteins with manufactured substitutes would add an estimated £25,000 (US$33,500) to annual purchasing costs in the Lords and £83,000 (US$111,000) in the Commons.

“While some manufactured substitutes are approaching price parity with processed meat, plant protein staples such as beans, lentils and tofu already offer ingredient-cost savings,” Carpenter said. “Reformulating menus around these staples could reduce catering costs in both Houses and contribute to the Commons’ objective of operating without a taxpayer subsidy.”

Commons catering recorded a £7.4 million (US$9.9 million) loss in 2024-25. Its Finance Committee has recommended reaching zero net cost by the end of this Parliament. Lords catering had a net cost of approximately £2.8 million (US$3.75 million) that year.

The modeled change could also reduce emissions associated with Parliament’s animal protein purchases by about a quarter, equivalent to around 650 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Across 27 Lords dishes assessed, reformulated recipes and manufactured substitutes had estimated emissions 80–83% below the original dishes per serving.

Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport and sponsor of the launch event, said: “This new report shows that a relatively small shift towards plant proteins could save money, and help stimulate market demand for British-grown beans and pulses.”

He also called for changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services to encourage protein diversification across central government catering.

Claire Bass, senior director, campaigns and public affairs at Humane World for Animals UK, said: “We know that there’s already appetite among many MPs to have more plants on plates; this is a clear opportunity for the Government to drive that shift across central government catering and save money, cut greenhouse gases and spare animals from suffering.”

A 2025 YouGov survey of 105 MPs, weighted to represent the Commons, found that 38% wanted a higher proportion of nutritious plant-based catering options. That rose to 53% among Labour MPs.

The savings remain estimates. Prices were collected between July and October 2026, exclude VAT and assume unchanged menu prices and sales volumes. Commons recipe calculations also rely heavily on assumptions allocating sales to particular dishes. Some replacements fell below the researchers’ 80% protein aim; those retaining at least 50% were included.

The report recommends testing dishes with diners and tracking ingredient costs, uptake and waste to establish whether the projected savings can be achieved. Humane World for Animals UK, which runs the Forward Food culinary training program, has offered Parliament’s chefs free tailored support sessions.
griffincarpenter.org

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