CAP FAQ

What is the Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses (CAP)?

The Coalition for the Advancement of Pulses (CAP) is an initiative led by the American Pulse Association to increase the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) recommendation for pulses from 1.5 cups per week to 3 cups per week. To achieve this bold goal, we have planned a coordinated and strategic effort beginning now and continuing intensely through 2025. CAP will work closely with industry supporters, key allies, and heath professional organizations to achieve its goals. For more information contact CAP.

To achieve this bold goal, it will take a coordinated and strategic industry effort beginning now and continuing intensely through 2025. Other associated goals include:

• Grow the research base regarding the health/nutritional benefits of pulses and work to increase consumer and health professional awareness about the benefits of pulses.

• Maximize pulse promotion in the Dietary Guidelines, including usage of the word “pulses” and awareness and elevation of all pulse categories including beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas.

• Encourage USDA and HHS to emphasize the benefits of “all forms” of pulses, such as canned products, dried products, and other finished foods (E.g., Hummus, frozen meals and sides, shelf-stable soups, pulse pastas, pulse milks, etc.).

• Work to ensure that pulses are well-positioned in evolving discussions, including any recommendations around limiting ultra-processed foods and the development of new dietary patterns (E.g., low-carb dietary patterns).

• Help to develop a long-term strategy for the future of pulses in the Dietary Guidelines and other Federal food policies.

The Dietary Guidelines affect every single Federal nutrition program in the country, including how many weekly servings of pulses are required to be served in school lunches and the monthly benefit allowance for pulses purchased through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to name a few. The specific recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines are also widely disseminated to consumers across the country by the media, health professionals and all major public health organizations including (among others) the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association. 

In short:

• If we succeed in updating the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines, it could double the usage of pulses in the Federal feeding programs.

• Members could incorporate the new recommendation into their own marketing or communications initiatives.

• Public health organizations and health professionals would be communicating higher recommendations of pulses to their audiences, thereby increasing consumption of pulses nationwide.

• The change in recommendations would garner national media attention, resulting in growing consumer awareness, consumption, and sales of pulses.

State check-off groups, bean groups, food manufacturers, canners, processors, international stakeholders, foundations, exporters, dealers, pulse processors, finished product processors, warehouse seed purchasers, pulse crop first purchasers, dealers and other key stakeholders are encouraged to support the initiative. We will be more likely to succeed if we have a wide net of engagement from members, non-members, and allies of the pulse industry putting forth harmonized messaging and support.

For the first time in many years, as part of the Dietary Guidelines development process, the USDA and HHS are proposing to assess whether there should be changes in the weekly recommended amounts of specific food groups or food subgroups; this means that we have the opportunity to potentially increase the amounts of beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas that are recommended for Americans to consume weekly.

Given that pulses are an “excellent” source of potassium and dietary fiber and provide other important minerals, such as magnesium, choline, and iron all while contributing minimal amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium to the diet, we believe there is strong evidence to support the increase to 3 cups of pulses per week. There is also notable scientific evidence that suggests the most optimal health benefits are seen when pulses are consumed at levels closer to 3 cups per week.

For the past ten years, pulses have been recommended at lower levels than nearly all other vegetable subgroups in the Dietary Guidelines. The current edition recommends that consumers following a Healthy U.S.-Style or Healthy Mediterranean-Style dietary pattern should consume 1.5 cups of pulses per week while recommending 5.5 cups of red/orange vegetables, 5 cups of starchy vegetables, and 4 cups of other vegetables.

From 2018 to 2020, the American Pulse Association executed a strategic plan to improve pulse promotion in the Dietary Guidelines. The organization was successful in our efforts leading to USDA and HHS changing the vegetable category name “legumes (beans and peas)” to “beans, peas, and lentils” in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines. For the first time ever, the Dietary Guidelines also used and defined the term “pulses” and there were multiple pulse highlights in USDA’s consumer education materials. We are confident that with the right research, resources, and industry support that we can succeed in achieving our goals for the 2025 Dietary Guidelines as well.

Other industries have had similar success as well. Back in the early 2000s, some preliminary research about the health benefits of whole grains started to emerge. This presented a great opportunity for the grain industry. The industry worked together to fund additional research and collectively advocate for increased recommendations regarding whole grains in the diet. Their efforts have resulted in the Dietary Guidelines now recommending that half of grains consumed should be whole grains with an explosion of whole-grain options in the market.

The CAP effort will involve a policy strategy, a research strategy, and a scientific/promotional communications strategy.

Are supporters expected to contribute funding annually?

The funding collected now to support CAP’s aggressive policy, research, communication goals and strategies will sustain the effort through 2025. Given the interest expressed interest to date and the ultimate value this initiative represents, we feel confident that a second call for funding will not be requested. All contributions will be used to directly support CAP’s goals.

The most significant value is the potential for increased pulses consumption across federal feeding programs, foodservice operations, among consumers, and increased use in manufactured products. These companies can also use license the CAP logo for use in internal and external marketing materials to showcase their leadership and industry support. They will also have opportunities to network with colleagues and contribute to shaping the future of the pulses industry.

What is the value of participating for state checkoff groups and bean groups

The most significant value is the opportunity for these organizations to seize a leadership role in supporting a program that offers the potential for increased pulses consumption across federal feeding programs, foodservice operations, among consumers, and increased use in manufactured products. These companies can also obtain a license to use the CAP logo for use in internal and external marketing materials to showcase their leadership and industry support. In addition, they can network with colleagues to cultivate new cross channel and cross category opportunities that may benefit the pulse industry long-term.

The most significant value is the opportunity for these organizations to seize a leadership role in supporting a program that offers the potential for increased pulses across consumer segments for the health and wellness benefits they offer. Foundations invested in consumer health and wellness can play a meaningful role shaping policy that, according to research, will improve the health and wellness for the nation’s consumers.