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We live in an increasingly urbanised world. This continues to have profound repercussions for our food system, dramatically reshaping how our food is produced, distributed and consumed. As our cities have grown, agriculture has been pushed further from urban centres, increasing our reliance on complex supply chains and accelerating the industrialisation of agriculture. These changes have contributed to a wealth of problems, including greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation and the loss of biodiversity and habitats.

This has also created an alarming dependence on imports — particularly for territories with limited agricultural land, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, which import 90% and 95% of their food, respectively. This over-reliance poses a real risk to a city’s food security, exposing it to the effects of numerous supply chain disruptions, including market volatility, geopolitical instability, the impacts of the climate crisis and outbreaks of diseases and pests. It doesn’t have to be this way; cities are prime locations for shaping a more sustainable, resilient food system and testing grounds for innovation. We need a new approach — and the hospitality sector can help lead the way there.

While city life can bring many benefits to hospitality businesses, it isn’t without its challenges. Too often, operators have to weigh their sustainability aspirations against high costs, limited space, complex supply chains and the unique logistical hurdles that come with living in an urban area. Understanding how to make the right sourcing choices to support a more sustainable food system can be tricky. That’s where this new toolkit comes in.

The discussion highlighted the unique challenges of responsible sourcing within an urban landscape, and participants shared some of their own strategies for smarter sourcing in cities. 

Managing Director of The SRA, Juliane Caillouette Noble, said, “At The SRA, we’re not just here to reward good sustainability practices in the global hospitality sector, but also to educate and inspire, continuing to catalyse further positive change. Part of this work is solving specific problems for hospitality operators in various parts of the world. We know those in urban environments like Hong Kong and Singapore can struggle to source quality ingredients at a local or regional level; our hope is that the valuable answers and actionable insights provided in this toolkit will make responsible sourcing more achievable for these businesses, supporting local producers and encouraging the development of sturdier supply chains.” 

Peggy Chan, Executive Director at Zero Foodprint Asia, said, “Urban hospitality businesses have incredible potential to drive systemic change — not just through what they serve, but through how and from whom they source. With this toolkit, we’re empowering operators to support small-scale, regenerative producers who are too often left out of conventional supply chains. Every conscious procurement choice helps shift power back to those farming in harmony with nature, and brings us closer to a truly sustainable urban food system.”