Hospitality futures: Towards a sustainable, healthier and ethical way of catering

Abstract

This viewpoint piece aims to draw attention to the opportunities that the development and active promotion of an attractive and nutritionally sound plant-based offer present to the hospitality industry on environmental, health and ethical bases that impact societal well-being. The case for advancing the promotion and normalization of plant-based eating at catering facilities is argued using the threefold dimensions associated with food production. First, the environmental impacts of different food types are discussed. This is followed by an evaluation of health-related debates linked to culinary consumption along with a selection of ethical issues involved in food production systems. This review highlights that the environmental sustainability challenges posed by the animal agricultural sector call for innovative and effective mitigating measures that can be linked to the development and promotion of plant-based food consumption which the hospitality industry can actively promote. From the health perspective, plant-based diets can report health benefits in the prevention and treatment of health conditions, but this requires planning by catering providers for nutritionally adequate and wholesome eating. From the ethical dimension, removing animals from the food chain would not only achieve lesser environmental pressures and social issues associated with the consumption of animal-derived produce. This would also reduce the suffering that sentient beings endure across different stages in food production which in turn can improve the hospitality sector’s corporate image and ethical stance whilst progressing positive social messages on sustainability, ethics and health.