Major hotel chains in China pledge to make up to 70% of their menus plant-based by next year
The sustainability push will see over 3,500 hotels in the country significantly increase their plant-based options in response to growing consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable food choices.
Credit: Lever China
Several major hotel chains in China have announced plans to “significantly increase” their plant-based food offerings in response to an increasing consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable menu options.
Within the last three months, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Greater China, Dossen Hotel Group, and Orange Hotels have all announced ambitious pledges to transform their menus to become more plant-forward.
In June, IHG Greater China became the first multinational brand to issue a plant-based food policy in the Chinese market, with a target to make 30 percent of its menu items plant-based by 2025. The move was described by the chain to “provide [their] guests with healthier, more environmentally friendly dining choices”.
Shortly after, the state-owned Dossen Hotel Group followed suit and launched a similar pledge to transform 30 percent of its menu to plant-based by next year. The policy will apply to all of the group’s locations which include 2,000 hotels across China, with a further 1,500 hotels currently in development.
Then in August this month, the publicly listed domestic company Huazhu Group revealed its ambitious goal of making 70 percent of its menus plant-based by 2025. The group, which operates multiple hotel brands in the country, has selected Orange Hotels as the first of its brands to implement the policy which will roll out across its 750 locations.
“Orange Hotels promotes the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) brand concept and encourages everyone to embrace a healthy and sustainable lifestyle”, Yaohui Yang, CEO of Orange Hotels, said in a statement about the menu upgrade.
The Shanghai-based consultancy firm Lever China, which helps encourage food companies in the country to shift towards healthier and more sustainable menus, welcomed the new plant-based initiatives and said they will help initiate a “profound shift” in the Chinese hospitality landscape.
“The commitments from IHG, Dossen Hotel Group, and Huazhu Group to significantly increase their plant-based offerings is a sign of China’s hospitality industry's new leadership role in advancing sustainable dietary habits”, explained Cecilia Zhao, Sustainability Program Manager at Lever China. “It's encouraging to see such alignment with global sustainability goals and consumer health priorities.”
According to a recent comprehensive survey of thousands of Chinese consumers, nearly 90 percent of respondents said they plan to increase their plant-based food intake within the next year. 85 percent of those surveyed also expect hotels and restaurants to offer more plant-based options, regarding it as a necessity to promote public health and sustainable development.
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