Could 2018 be the Year of the Bean?

2016 was the International Year of Pulses, a very successful campaign declared by the United Nations with the objective of heightening “public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition.” Building on that momentum, February 10, 2018 has been declared as International Pulse Day, expected to be observed and celebrated worldwide. USDBC will recognize the occasion during the Mexico Bean Congress in Cancun.

There are a number of exciting new initiatives and reports taking place and being published here in the U.S. with the goal of continuing to educate, inform, and raise awareness of all of the amazing qualities of U.S. dry beans. At the same time, USDBC continues its successful partnership with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to promote increased global consumption of U.S. dry beans and has just started to implement its 2018 global export marketing strategy. As we continue to work with partners across the spectrum in the U.S. and abroad whose goals strongly complement our own and support their initiatives to educate, inform, and increase consumption of dry beans, we have also learned of a new article published in various nutritional journals noting that many registered dietitians have gaps in their knowledge of the health benefits of beans. Specifically, this article focused on registered dietitians (RDs) in Arizona and noted, “Some gaps in awareness were evident, including effect on cancer risk, intestinal health benefits, folate content, and application with celiac disease patients……Twenty-nine percent of the RDs did not know the meaning of ‘legume’, and over two-thirds could not define the term ‘pulse’.” The article went on to state that it is essential that RDs have better information on bean benefits to share with their patients.” USDBC is excited to see what new opportunities lie ahead in 2018 to continue to talk about all of the impressive qualities of U.S. dry beans. The full article referenced can be found here: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/1/52/notes