MREInfo.com

No more than any other foods I think, You can have them for Breakfast on toast or for Dinner with a meal. I would guess they are seen as a British thing.
I sell quite a few cans where I work on the weekends but thats just for the full English fry up (Wikipedia that if you don't know what it is).
Its a cheap meal and if you use mystery meat saves even more costs.

dirtbag wrote:So, do Brits normally eat a lot of beans, or is the MoD just being cheap barstards???

I grew up in an English family and beans on toast was a common lunchtime meal for us kids. Quick & reasonably nutritious.

Beans on toast or hamburger and beans might not be that common over here in the US but then again, I'll bet hot dogs and tator tots aren't a huge hit in other parts of the world.