The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) wins praise for its new Food and Beverage Standard, a significant milestone in advancing sustainability across F&B operations in the global hospitality and tourism industries. Among other provisions, the new Standard requires companies seeking GSTC certification to ensure that at least 30% of main dishes and meal options are plant-based or predominantly plant-based (defined in the Standard as at least 95% plant-based by weight).

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is a nonprofit organization established in 2007 with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations World Tourism Organization to promote sustainability and social responsibility in the tourism sector. GSTC accredits independent certification bodies that audit hotels, tour operators, and destinations against its global standards, and there are currently more than 2,000 GSTC-certified hotels worldwide across dozens of countries on multiple continents. Recognized as a trusted benchmark for sustainability and excellence in the travel and tourism industry, GSTC counts among its adopters a diverse global membership including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities—all working toward shared standards for responsible, verifiable sustainable tourism.

The plant-based foods benchmark falls under criterion A10.8 of the new Standard, which requires that “where the organization offers food, it demonstrates a clear commitment to reducing reliance on animal-based ingredients…For à la carte and buffet-style restaurants, and for any menu offering multiple dishes, compliance is demonstrated when at least 30% of core food offerings are plant-based or predominantly plant-based.” As with all GSTC Standards, the new Food and Beverage Standard is intended to serve as the minimum that businesses should carry out to advance social, environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. For hotels already holding or applying for GSTC certification, the new standard signals that assessing current menu offerings against this benchmark is an important step in preparing for certification or recertification reviews.

“The food and beverage service sector is everywhere in the tourism value chain, and the development of the GSTC Food and Beverage Standard marks another meaningful step in expanding the application of global sustainability standards across the tourism industry,” said Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC. “This progress reflects the valuable collaboration and commitment of the many contributors involved and reinforces GSTC’s continued dedication to advancing sustainability throughout the sector, which now includes six sets of GSTC Standards.”

“The launch of the GSTC Food and Beverage Standard is a great development for the hospitality and travel industry,” said Nick Cooney, Board Director at the non-profit Lever Foundation, which worked with GSTC on the development of its new Standard over the past two years. “With its clear, measurable requirements for reducing the use of animal-based ingredients and increasing the use of plant-based foods, the new Standard gives hospitality groups, restaurants, and travel F&B operators a concrete minimum to work toward in this important area. Lever Foundation is excited to continue to work directly with hospitality groups and other F&B operators to help them develop plant-based food policies that improve guest satisfaction and lower costs, all while delivering strong sustainability benefits.”

Research shows that plant-based foods require significantly fewer natural resources than animal proteins, generating substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions while using far less land and water. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has also found that plant-based foods generate significantly less food waste than meat and dairy products. By embedding a plant-based menu requirement into its certification framework, GSTC is helping ensure that sustainability commitments extend meaningfully into one of the most visible and guest-facing aspects of the hospitality experience.