GSTC Sets 30% Plant-Based Menu Benchmark in New F&B Standard

A hotel restaurant in Geneva. A resort buffet in Bali. A tour operator's lunch stop in Costa Rica. Each of these falls within the reach of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's standards, and starting now, all of them are subject to a new requirement: at least 30% of their menu must be plant-based.

WHAT THE STANDARD REQUIRES

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

The GSTC is a nonprofit organization established in 2007 with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN World Tourism Organization. It currently accredits more than 2,000 certified hotels worldwide and counts national governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, and NGOs among its members.

The plant-based requirement falls under criterion A10.8 of the new Standard, which requires organizations to demonstrate a clear commitment to reducing reliance on animal-based ingredients. As with all GSTC Standards, the Food and Beverage Standard sets the minimum that businesses should carry out to advance social, environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability.

WHY IT MATTERS

Plant-based foods require significantly fewer natural resources than animal proteins, generating 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 in its certification framework, GSTC is extending its sustainability commitments to one of the most visible and guest-facing aspects of the hospitality experience. For hotels already holding or applying for GSTC certification, assessing current menu offerings against the 30% benchmark is now an important step in preparing for certification or recertification reviews.

Lever Foundation worked with GSTC on developing the new Standard over the past two years. For the thousands of hospitality operators already aligned with GSTC's framework, the new Standard gives a clear, measurable minimum to work toward.