Sustainability-oriented Foodservice Providers in Thailand: Motivation, Challenges, and Strategies

An increasing number of niche restaurants, food delivery services, and cafés (foodservice providers) are responding to the increasing demand for healthy and environmentally friendly food options. A multi-level perspective approach and the social practice theory are used to discuss the transition towards a more sustainable food system in Thailand. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study aimed to explore the motivation, challenges, and strategies for opening a sustainability-oriented foodservice provider in Thailand. Based on 10 in-depth interviews, the main motivations behind operating their businesses are to improve the livelihood of local Thai farmers (by using sustainable sourcing strategies) and to offer healthy, tasty food that does not negatively affect the environment. The most common challenges are high operational costs, efficient production planning and finding a local source for food ingredients. The main strategies include recycling and reusing, minimizing energy consumption, efficient waste management methods and effective food production planning.