Pulse check: the modest Westminster menu changes that could save taxpayers money

Credit: Clive Tagg

Claire Bass, Senior Director, Campaigns and Public Affairs | Humane World for Animals UK

6 min read13 min Partner content

Westminster may not march on its stomach, but it certainly debates, divides and legislates on it. Keeping politicians and visitors fed through long days, overrunning committees and meetings squeezed into every available gap, is something of a military operation.

And it’s an expensive operation that could be cheaper: new analysis of Parliament's own catering data finds that switching just 30% of the meat, fish and shellfish it buys to plant protein ingredients such as beans, lentils and tofu, could save over £1million over five years. Applied more widely through the Government Buying Standards, the same approach could save more public money, support British farmers, cut emissions and reduce demand for animals suffering in industrial farming systems.

What's on Parliament's plates?

We took a look at the contents of Parliament’s shopping trolley, using purchase and sales records of both Houses obtained under Freedom of Information. We commissioned economists to analyse this data to answer the question Could increasing plant-based catering in the Houses of Parliament save money?¹ The headline answer is a resounding yes: redesigning dishes around wholefood plant protein ingredients would save around 57p for every £1 of meat, fish and shellfish replaced.

More than 92% of the protein-rich food bought on the parliamentary estate comes from animal sources. While chickens top the list of animals consumed by both Houses, the zoological shopping list runs to over 40 species, including pheasants, quails, lobsters, partridges, and snails. Over the year (2024-5), the House of Lords bought three tonnes of bacon, gammon, and ham, but just 2kg of seitan, despite their similar protein content.¹

A modest 30% shift from animal to plant proteins, aligned with the National Food Strategy's recommendations, would cut emissions too, by around 650 tonnes of CO2e every year. The Climate Change Committee recommends a 25% reduction in meat consumption by 2040, and names public procurement among the most promising levers for that shift.^2,3

There is already appetite for change on the estate. In May, the Commons Administration Committee reported that healthy ‘on the go’ choices were limited, and vegetarian and vegan options were not always available. It recommended exploring a build your own salad bar.⁴ Plenty of MPs are hungry for more plant-power in Parliament: 2025 YouGov polling found more than a third want a higher proportion of nutritious plant-based options, rising to more than half of Labour MPs.⁵

There would be a health benefit too, welcome for anyone facing a late night in the Chamber. Beans, lentils and nuts are excellent sources of protein and fibre, and fibre is where most of us fall short: 96% of UK adults don't eat the recommended 30g a day.⁵

Backing British growers

In a speech in July, the Prime Minister said, “For too long UK public procurement policy has been based on chasing cut-price deals from around the world, rather than helping our own British-based players become more stable and competitive.” ⁶ Plant-rich menus mean more vegetables, fruit, grains and pulses on public plates, and a way to help grow the UK’s arable and horticultural sector.

The Government's new Organic Action Plan identifies public procurement as a way to build demand for English organic produce.⁷ Plant-rich procurement could do the same for British-grown pulses and other crops, serving the Prime Minister's ambition for public contracts to back British businesses, and giving growers the confidence to invest in horticultural growth. A University of Oxford roadmap identifies stronger demand, including through procurement, as a priority for scaling up British pulses.⁸

Eating plants, rather than feeding plants to animals, is a more efficient as well as compassionate choice. British farms already grow around 800,000 tonnes of fava beans and peas a year, but the crop is largely used as farmed animal feed rather than reaching our plates.⁸

Increasing production and demand for British pulses would also strengthen the UK's food security. Speaking at the IGD Future of Food conference, Defra Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said this summer's extreme weather demonstrated the need to produce food differently and increase our capacity to produce food.⁹ Climate change is putting farmers under pressure, increasing the need to explore a wider range of crops suited to new climatic conditions in the UK. UK companies such as Hodmedod’s already work with farmers to sell British-grown quinoa, lentils and chia, and are trialling chickpeas,¹⁰ while Defra-funded scientists are developing lentils and beans that could be grown more widely as temperatures rise.¹¹

Using central government’s buying power

The Government Buying Standards, last revised in 2021, already set requirements for food bought across central government.¹² The Government has said it is exploring potential updates,¹³ and we are grateful to many MPs who are joining the call for updated Standards to include a requirement for central government catering to adopt a 30% shift from animal to plant protein, by 2030.

What Parliament puts on its plates matters beyond Westminster. Our analysis identifies an opportunity for Parliament to lead by example, showing how modest menu changes can save money, cut emissions and offer greater choice without removing choice. Take that ambition beyond the Palace of Westminster and the prize is much bigger: public money spent more wisely, stronger markets for British growers, and a more humane, sustainable and secure food system.

To back the campaign for Westminster to be full of beans, contact us at [email protected]!

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