Can Asia’s Hospitality Industry Rebuild Its Food Chain Before It Breaks?
Asia’s tourism industry is in the midst of a culinary reckoning. Confronted by climate disruptions, supply chain challenges, and evolving guest expectations, hotels and resorts across the region are rethinking what it means to serve good food.
From shortening the distance between farm and fork to embracing climate-smart ingredients like heritage rice, seaweed, millets, water lilies, and foxnuts, Asia’s hospitality leaders and chefs are turning their kitchens into laboratories. In doing so, they are also creating flavorful blueprints for food system resilience.
This article is part of Asia Sustainable Travel’s series spotlighting bold ideas and game-changing solutions shaping a more sustainable future for Asia’s F&B industry.
An Age-Old Problem: Imported Menus in a Collapsing Climate
For years, luxury travel in Asia has revolved around a predictable formula: international fine dining, pristine plating, and imported “premium” ingredients.
However, the environmental toll of this model is becoming harder to ignore. According to the European Commission, transporting food accounts for nearly 20% of all food system emissions, with long-haul imports for out-of-season produce and meat playing a major role.
Meanwhile, conventional agricultural staples such as commercial rice varieties and wheat are increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and soil degradation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s 2023 report on Asia-Pacific agriculture warns that climate extremes are reducing yields of traditional staple crops in many countries, from India to Indonesia.
Paradoxically, smallholder farmers, responsible for over 60% of Asia’s agricultural production, often struggle to access stable markets, usually while nearby restaurants and hotels import food from abroad.
The result is an inefficient and unsustainable system that is increasingly out of step with today’s climate realities.
The good news is that hospitality and tourism have the reach and resources to flip the script by building shorter, fairer, and more resilient food chains from the ground up.
Photos by Max Smith (L) and Go Green Hong Kong (R)
The Transformation Must Be Localized, Climate-Smart, and Guest-Ready
Localizing Food Supply Chains
A growing number of hotels and dining businesses shorten their supply chains by sourcing from nearby farms, forests, and fisheries, while many grow their produce onsite and develop their own supply chain. These “Farm to Fork” and “Zero Mile” movements that champion food miles reduction, support regional biodiversity, and build community resilience are gaining momentum across the region.
A promising example is Nikoi and Cempedak Private Islands. In addition to a small permaculture garden on the islands, they have developed Kebun Reja, a 7-hectare farm on Bintan Island that uses permaculture to improve soil regeneration. By integrating flexible, seasonal menus that change depending on the harvest, the private islands have contained their food miles and emissions and deepened their storytelling, connecting guests with the landscapes behind their meals.
Kebun Reja. Photos by Nikoi Island.
In Koh Phi Phi in Thailand, Zeavola, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s Considerate Collection, Chef Satya Beeknoo and his team hand-pick their suppliers through a deliberate process that often includes visiting farms to learn how ingredients are grown.
At Alma Resort Cam Ranh, sustainability is rooted in the landscape. Led by landscape manager Ngo Duc Thinh, the resort has reimagined its grounds to include a thriving nursery, herb gardens, and even a chicken farm, making meaningful strides toward greater self-sufficiency.
With guidance from Bali’s regenerative agriculture hub, Little Spoon Farm, The Legian Seminyak has turned its onsite Wellness Garden into a vibrant source of over 50 fruits, vegetables, and herbs, bringing hyper-local, seasonal ingredients straight to the plates at its restaurant and bars.
Photos by Alma Resort Cam Ranh (L) and The Legian Seminyak (R).
As urban hotels and restaurants contend with limited space for traditional gardens, many are turning to rooftop and vertical farming or forging partnerships with nearby growers to keep ingredients close to their kitchens. Dusit Thani Kyoto, for instance, developed its own farm and tea garden just 20 minutes from the city center, supplying fresh, seasonal produce to its dining outlets.
Skeptics often question whether localized sourcing can support non-Asian menus that rely heavily on imported ingredients.
Vietnam-based Pizza 4Ps proves it can. The brand has reengineered its supply chain to source Vietnamese-grown vegetables and even craft its own cheeses, reinterpreting iconic Italian dishes with local flair. This business model built on a localized supply chain not only appeals to diners but also supports expansion into neighboring countries.
In Singapore, Sustenir is redefining what’s possible in cities. Using controlled environment agriculture, its high-tech farms grow non-native crops such as kale and strawberries with minimal environmental impact. For hotels and restaurants seeking consistent quality and reduced food miles, the result is both sustainable and scalable.
→ Read more about how Asia’s restaurants are fuelling the sustainable gastronomy movement..
Photos by Pizza 4Ps (L) and Sustenir (R).
Embracing Climate-Smart Ingredients
Localization is only part of the equation.
In kitchens increasingly led by climate-conscious chefs and owners, climate-smart crops, many of which are heritage, require fewer inputs, withstand weather extremes, and deliver high-value nutrition. Yet, despite their potential, many remain underutilized.
According to Gayatri Bhatia, founder of Elevate Foods, the barriers are systemic. “Many climate-smart ingredients like foxnuts, seaweed, millet, and amaranth are deeply rooted in Asia’s agrarian heritage but have been sidelined by industrial food systems that prioritize standardization, shelf life, and globalized supply chains,” she explains.
In hospitality, procurement often relies on familiar ingredients for convenience and to meet guest expectations. But Gayatri argues that climate-resilient crops offer more than just sustainability. They’re nutrient-dense, creatively versatile, and, when integrated thoughtfully, can enhance storytelling and profitability.
Seaweed is one such example. Fast-growing and nutrient-rich, it requires no freshwater or fertilizer, and its cultivation supports marine ecosystems by absorbing carbon and improving water quality.
Photos by Aquarium of the Pacific (L) and Millet Amma (R).
Still, fragmented supply chains and inconsistent quality make it difficult for chefs and operators to source these ingredients reliably. A growing number of organizations are working to change that.
The Begawan Foundation, for instance, has revived Bali’s nearly extinct Mansur Rice, restoring biodiversity and boosting farmers’ incomes, all while preserving land ownership and ecological balance. Zero Foodprint Asia, through its Restore Fund, is revitalizing climate-smart crops by supporting regenerative farming projects and creating direct pathways between smallholder farmers and hospitality businesses across the region.
Gayatri points to traditional systems like India’s Barahnaja — a method of intercropping twelve crops—as a powerful blueprint. These agroforestry models enrich the soil, diversify nutrition, and increase income stability. In Bihar, one of India’s poorest regions, foxnuts are already proving to be a lifeline for marginalized smallholders—an ancient crop offering a modern solution.
Begawan’s Mansure Heritage Rice (L). Regenerative Farming in Hong Kong by Zero Foodprint Asia (R).
→ Read more about Intercontinental Phuket Resort working with WWF Thailand to transform invasive species into fine-dining ingredients..
→ Read more about how Bali’s restaurants redefined sustainability by reviving heritage ingredients and recipes.
Digital Tools for Food Traceability
Although overhauling food supply chains can be a complex process, emerging technologies are beginning to ease the path toward greater traceability and accountability.
Platforms like OpenSC apply blockchain to track a product’s journey from origin to plate, offering verifiable insights into sourcing practices. Similarly, tools such as FoodLogiQ are enabling food service operators to track ingredients, manage supplier relationships, and improve responsiveness to food safety risks.
Photos by WWF Australia (L) and AgUnity (R).
Key Actions: How Hotels Can Lead the Food Revolution
Whether you’re running a boutique eco-lodge or a five-star resort, rethinking your food systems is no longer optional, it’s essential. From sourcing to storytelling, here are some key strategies to turn your kitchen into a catalyst for change.
1. Audit your foodprint
Begin with a clear-eyed audit of your supply chain. What’s flown in, trucked in, or grown nearby? Identifying high-impact ingredients like red meat and dairy is the first step to reducing your environmental footprint and shifting toward more climate-conscious choices.
2. Forge farmer-chef alliance
The most resilient menus are built on relationships. When chefs and producers collaborate around seasonality, both sides gain: chefs have access to fresher ingredients, and farmers receive insights on post-harvest handling and traceability.
3. Make local ingredients desirable
Guests are more likely to embrace unfamiliar ingredients when there’s a story behind them. Highlighting the cultural heritage of black sticky rice or the health benefits of wild dragonfruit can do more than replace imported staples. It can create memorable dining experiences. Garden tours and chef storytelling help bridge the emotional gap between the plate and the place.
4. Use tech to build trust
Digital tools like OpenSC, and AgUnity – a company digitising smallholder agriculture value chains in emerging markets are making traceability easier and more transparent. From tracking origin to verifying sustainability claims, tech can help operators integrate local sourcing without sacrificing quality, safety, or accountability.
Sumba, Indonesia is fast becoming a standout on Asia’s eco-tourism map, where many independently owned resorts are embedding permaculture into their landscapes—blending sustainability with a strong sense of place. Ngalung Kalla by Regenerative Travel (L) and Maringi Sumba (R).
TL; DR
Food is cultural, political, and deeply personal. And it’s one of the most powerful levers tourism has to build a climate-resilient future.
Localized food systems not only safeguard against global disruptions, from typhoons to supply chain bottlenecks, but also strengthen local economies and protect culinary heritage.
By using climate-smart ingredients in their menus, restaurants and hotels continue feeding guests without accelerating ecosystem collapse.
However, scaling regenerative food systems across Asia demands more than good intentions. It calls for cross-sector collaboration: embedding sustainability into culinary education, investing in transparent procurement systems, and developing trusted certifications that reward responsible sourcing.
The fork isn’t just where the journey ends; it’s where transformation begins.
