First Lincolnshire-grown baked beans are ‘in the can’

Using innovative growing methods developed by University of Warwick crop scientists, Capulet Beans entered the tinning process at Princes’ canning factory in Spalding last week.

It is the latest step to see more ‘home-grown’ staple food products created rather than relying on imports from Canada and South America, reducing food miles, improving soil structure and nutrients.

The beans were grown on Andrew Ward’s farm at Leadenham in partnership with university Professor Eric Holub.

Professor Holub said: "We went to the Princes factory to see how well the Capulet beans ‘can’ and they’ve done a marvellous job.”Farmer, Andy Ward, added: “It’s absolutely fantastic to be the farmer that’s grown these beans. To see them go through the line and into a tin – soon to be on a piece of toast, is unreal.”

It is seen as a significant step towards sustainable, UK-sourced food options. The university is on a mission to tackle global food security challenges.Capulet beans are the first bean that can be grown as baked beans in the UK after 12 years of work, but they will not be in the shops yet. Despite harvesting tonnes of them, they will be used as seed to scale up the operation to a fully commercial scale.Professor Eric Holub said: “Self-sufficiency in food production is important for reducing human impact on global climate.”