The plant-based food revolution that began as a consumer trend has evolved into a comprehensive corporate strategy, with companies across the food industry accelerating their commitments to sustainable protein alternatives at an unprecedented pace. Recent developments in 2025 demonstrate that plant-based policies are no longer experimental initiatives but central business strategies driving growth and meeting sustainability goals.
Building on the foundation established by early adopters like IKEA, Unilever, and InterContinental Greater China, the movement has gained significant momentum through institutional commitments and industry-wide recognition systems that are reshaping how food service companies approach menu planning and procurement.
The shift toward plant-based policies reflects compelling market dynamics. From 2025 to 2035 the Plant-Based Food Market will grow from USD $14.2 billion to $44.2 billion while demonstrating an annual compound growth rate of 12%. Corporate food service providers are responding to documented consumer preferences, particularly among younger demographics, with 44% of Generation Z college students preferring plant proteins to animal proteins.
The acceleration of plant-based policies addresses critical environmental challenges. Plant-based foods generally have a much lower carbon footprint compared to animal agriculture, with research showing that they produce 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution and land use. This emissions reduction potential makes plant-based transitions essential for companies seeking to meet sustainability targets and reduce their environmental impact.
Global hotel industry embraces plant-based menu transformation
The hospitality sector is experiencing a significant shift toward plant-based policies, with comprehensive scorecards and ambitious commitments driving industry-wide transformation across multiple regions.
China’s inaugural Plant-Based Foods Scorecard recognized 11 leading hotel groups with top A+ ratings for their commitment to increasing plant-based menu options. These groups, representing over 4,800 hotels collectively, have established targets that extend beyond plant-based offerings to include broader sustainability initiatives such as cage-free egg sourcing.
The most ambitious commitments come from OCTAVEHotels and Huazhu Hotel Group’s Orange Hotel, both targeting 70% plant-based meals on hotel menus by 2025. Langham Hospitality Group, operating nearly 40 locations across China and internationally, has committed to achieving 50% plant-based meals on hotel menus globally by 2030, complemented by weekly plant-based employee menus in Hong Kong.
AccorHotels has established a parallel commitment to transition 50% of its global hotel menu items to plant-based meals by 2030. In France, where nearly 30% of Accor hotels operate, the company has implemented a comprehensive action plan requiring at least 20% vegetarian menu offerings and training 50% of cooks in plant-based cooking and food waste reduction by 2027.
The trend is expanding across the Asia-Pacific region, with emerging commitments from multiple hospitality operators. Ascott Limited became the first hotel chain in the Philippines to commit to sourcing plant-based options for 20% of its menu items, with plans to achieve 30% across all 17 properties by 2027. Other regional operators are following similar trajectories.
Food service companies lead plant-based transformation
Food service companies across healthcare, education, and corporate dining sectors are implementing ambitious plant-based targets to improve animal welfare and reduce environmental impact through comprehensive menu transformations.
ISS Guckenheimer has committed to making 55% of its corporate dining menu options plant-based by 2025 as part of its strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 25% by 2030. The company is actively developing expanded plant-based menus while reducing reliance on meat-based dishes and managing animal protein portion sizes to achieve these targets.
Metz Culinary Management has pledged to transition approximately 35% of meat-based meals to plant-based alternatives by 2025. Beyond plant-based commitments, the company maintains comprehensive animal welfare standards, including sourcing cage-free eggs and working with pork suppliers to eliminate gestation crates by 2025.
Sodexo USA has established multiple plant-based targets across different business segments: 33% plant-based menus company-wide, 50% plant-based menus in its US Campus segment, and 50% plant-based entree recipes at The Good Eating Company, a Sodexo food brand. The company aims to achieve all commitments by the end of 2025 while tracking annual reductions in animal protein purchases.
HHS has set progressive targets beginning with 33% vegetarian/plant-based retail menus and a 10% reduction in total animal protein purchases by the end of 2024. The company’s forward-looking goals include increasing plant-based meals to 50% of menu offerings by 2027 and reducing total expenditure on animal-derived ingredients by 25% by 2030.
Technology enables quality improvements
The acceleration of plant-based policies has been supported by significant improvements in product quality and variety. Companies are refining plant-based products to appeal to flexitarians and meat eaters by enhancing flavor and texture, enabling food service providers to implement ambitious policies without compromising customer satisfaction.
The momentum generated by these institutional commitments, supported by transparent scoring systems and driven by compelling market dynamics, suggests that plant-based policies have moved beyond experimental status to become standard practice for forward-thinking food service organizations. As 2025 progresses, the question for food industry leaders appears to be not whether to implement plant-based policies, but how quickly they can adapt to meet evolving sustainability expectations.
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