Bean mixes are great for consumers as an ingredient for soups, stews, and salads but they are also be a good way for pulse vendors to add variety and value to their product range.
Below we explore the different bean mix products in Australia and their ingredients. While some ingredients are more common than others, we found a high degree of variety in the combinations of beans used in mixes, which represents a great opportunity for vendors to incorporate overstocked or abundant products into value-added products.
What's in a four bean mix?
The most common beans found in a four bean mix are chickpeas, red kidney beans, lima beans and cannellini beans.
Chickpeas are listed as an ingredient in 94% of four bean mixes, equal with red kidney beans. Lima beans are present 75% or more four bean mixes but appear on the ingredients list under different names like butter beans, lima beans, baby lima beans, and also possibly white beans. Cannellini beans are explicitly listed as an ingredient in at least 44% of four bean mixes but are also likely found in more products under the label of white beans. White beans are listed as an ingredient in 19% of four bean mix products.
Depending on how we classify beans it's possible that some four bean mix products may contain less or more than four types of beans. In one example both butter beans and baby lima beans were listed as ingredients, but many sources might consider these both types of lima beans making it a three bean mix. In other cases where the generic term white beans appears on the ingredient list, it's possible that two or more distinct varieties of white beans are present which could make the product a five bean mix or potential even more.
Borlotti beans are also common and can be found in 38% of Australian four bean mixes. Flageolet beans, black beans and pinto beans were only seen once in our sample of 16 four bean mix products.
Despite the seemingly high prevalence of chickpeas and red kidney beans only 2 of the 16 four bean mix products contained exactly the same ingredients according to the label. 14 of the products had a unique ingredient list, although some of this may be attributed to varied labeling of lima beans and white bean varieties.
What's in a five bean mix?
The most common beans found in a five bean mix are chickpeas, red kidney beans, lima beans, borlotti beans, and cannellini beans.
Chickpeas and red kidney beans are listed as ingredients in all products sold as a five bean mix. Lima beans are explicitly stated on 80% of ingredients but could be present in more products under the labeling white beans. Borlotti beans appear in 60% of five bean mixes as do cannellini beans (again possibly more due to generic white bean labeling).
Great northern beans were also common appearing in 40% of five bean mix products, while cranberry beans and black eye beans appeared once in our sample of five products marketed as five bean mixes in Australia. Interestingly three of these five products were commercial sized canned products weighing 2.5kg to 3kg.
Considering the above we can say that four bean mixes are more common overall and typically designed for consumers, while five bean mix products appear to be marketed to food service providers and kitchens.
How many beans are in a mixed bean salad?
There are typically four varieties of beans in canned mixed bean products marketed in Australia. This is based on a sample of four canned products marketed in Australia, of which all four were also marketed as organic.
What type of beans are in Mexican bean mix?
A Mexican bean mix contains black beans, pinto beans, and red kidney beans. This is based on a small sample of two canned products marketed in Australia.
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