Beans on toast soap aims to tackle hygiene poverty

A beans on toast flavoured edible soap has been launched to raise awareness of the choice some families face between buying food and hygiene products.

The Goodwash Company, from Barry, and The Hygiene Bank charity have produced the UK’s first edible soap as part of a campaign to highlight hygiene poverty and to call for VAT on hygiene products to be cut.

Hygiene poverty was found to affect an estimated 4.2 million adults in the UK last year, according to research conducted by YouGov on behalf of The Hygiene Bank.

Currently, soap and other essential hygiene products are subject to a 20% VAT rate, treating them as non-essential items.

The Hygiene Bank has started a petition calling for a change in tax around this.

The Treasury has been approached for comment.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mandy Powell, CEO and co-founder of skin care brand The Goodwash Company, said she thought she would originally make a breakfast bar with oats and seaweed as a talking point about hygiene poverty.

“I went back to them with the idea and they said, no, we want a proper evening meal bar of soap, something like beans on toast or a chicken tikka masala,” she said.

“So I’m back to the team and I said I think this is going to be a little bit more difficult than I originally thought. But here we are 12 months later and we’ve got beans on toast soap.”

The soap is flavoured to taste like beans on toast, and is made out of cacao butter, organic oat flour, avocado oil and paprika as well as beans and toast flavouring.

It is also possible to buy a virtual version of the soap on The Goodwash Company’s website for £15, which according to The Hygiene Bank is the average cost of soap over a year.

All profits from the sale of the edible soap go directly to The Hygiene Bank.

“It is quite fun, but there is a serious message behind it,” Ms Powell said.

Speaking about the campaign to cut VAT on hygiene products, Ruth Brock, CEO of The Hygiene Bank, said soap was a necessity, “not a luxury”.

“This campaign is about more than just VAT reform – it’s about recognising hygiene as a fundamental right,” she added.

The soap has also caught the attention of Michelin star chefs in London where they have been adding shavings to the food.

“There’s been about eight or ten Michelin star chefs in London that have requested the soap bar,” Ms Powell added.

She added the chefs have been adding it to their dishes or including it on their restaurant menu to raise awareness of the campaign, describing it as “amazing”.

One such chef is Chantelle Nicholson, owner of Mayfair restaurant Apricity, who has paired the soap with mushrooms and wild garlic.