The hospitality industry has recognized the importance of sustainability in recent years, and the F&B department of hotels plays a crucial role in this context [2]. The F&B operations, including food service, food preparation, and food waste management, have significant environmental, social, and economic impacts [3]. Engaging the F&B department in sustainability practices has become a key focus for hotels aiming to minimize their environmental footprint, conserve resources, and contribute to social responsibility [4,5]. Therefore, the literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing empirical studies and best practices on hotel F&B department engagement with sustainability, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and strategies for promoting sustainable practices.

Engaging the F&B department in sustainability practices can yield numerous benefits for hotels [6]. One of the primary benefits is the reduction of environmental impacts. Sustainable sourcing and menu optimization practices can help reduce the carbon footprint of F&B operations by acquiring food from local, organic, and sustainable sources and optimizing menu offerings to include seasonal, locally available ingredients and plant-based options [3,7]. This can contribute to biodiversity conservation, promote sustainable food production, and reduce the emissions associated with transportation and processing of food products. Water conservation practices, such as implementing water-efficient fixtures and water reuse systems, can also help by effectively reduce water consumption in the F&B department and contribute to sustainable water management [8]. This is particularly relevant in water-stressed areas where hotels can play a role in conserving a valuable resource. Energy-efficient practices, such as using energy-efficient appliances, optimizing equipment usage, and promoting energy-saving behaviors among staff, can help reduce energy consumption and therefore greenhouse gas emissions in the F&B department [9,10], contributing to mitigate climate change impacts and reducing operational costs for hotels. Waste management practices, including source separation, recycling, and composting, can minimize waste generation and promote recycling, leading to reduced environmental impacts of waste disposal [11]. Last, engaging the staff in sustainability initiatives can increase their awareness, knowledge, and behaviors, leading to more sustainable F&B operations and promoting a culture of conscience within the organization [12,13].

Despite the benefits, engaging the F&B department in sustainability practices presents several challenges for hotels. One of the main challenges is the need for financial investments. Implementing sustainable practices often requires upfront costs for infrastructure upgrades, equipment purchases, and staff training, which may pose financial challenges for hotels, particularly for small and medium-sized establishments [14]. This may require careful financial planning and budget allocation to support sustainability initiatives in the F&B department. Food and beverage operations are subject to strict food safety and hygiene regulations, which may pose challenges in adopting sustainable practices, such as composting or food donation programs, due to concerns about food safety and liability issues [15,16]. Hotels need to ensure that sustainability practices are in compliance with food safety regulations and take necessary precautions to mitigate any potential risks. Resistance to change and lack of awareness and understanding among staff about the importance and benefits of sustainability practices hinder their engagement and participation in sustainability initiatives [17,18]. Overcoming these challenges requires effective communication, staff training, and engagement strategies to create a shared understanding and commitment towards sustainability among the F &B department staff.

Another challenge of engaging the F&B department in sustainability practices is the complex and global nature of food supply chains [19,20]. Ensuring sustainable sourcing of food products, including traceability, certifications, and standards, can be challenging due to the complexity and diversity of food supply chains, especially for large hotels with multiple suppliers and distributors [21,22,23]. It may require significant efforts to establish and maintain sustainable sourcing practices, including supplier selection, monitoring, and auditing, to ensure that food products are procured from sustainable sources. Changing consumer preferences and demands pose a challenge for hotels in adopting sustainable practices in the F&B department [24]. While there is growing awareness and demand for sustainable food options among consumers, there may still be resistance to higher prices or changes in menu offerings, particularly in price-sensitive market [25]. Hotels need to carefully balance sustainability goals with customer satisfaction and financial considerations to ensure that sustainability initiatives are economically viable and acceptable to consumers.

There are several strategies that hotels can adopt to promote engagement of the F&B department in sustainability practices such as:

Leadership commitment and support are crucial for driving sustainability initiatives in the F&B department [2,26,27]. Top management should communicate the importance of sustainability, set sustainability goals, allocate resources, and provide necessary training and support to ensure that sustainability becomes an integral part of the organizational culture [28].

Staff engagement and training is essential for creating a shared understanding and commitment towards sustainability [26]. Training programs can be conducted to raise awareness, build knowledge and skills, and promote sustainable behaviors among staff [29]. Staff should be encouraged and incentivized to participate in sustainability initiatives and provide feedback and ideas for improvement [30,31];

Collaboration with suppliers is a critical step for ensuring sustainable sourcing of food products. Hotels can establish partnerships with local, organic, and sustainable food suppliers, set up supplier selection criteria based on sustainability standards, and regularly monitor and audit suppliers for compliance [32,33];

Infrastructure upgrades and technology adoption: Hotels may need to invest in infrastructure upgrades and technology adoption to implement sustainable practices in the F&B department. This may include installing energy-efficient appliances, water-efficient fixtures, waste segregation and recycling systems, and food waste management technologies [34,35,36,37]. Life cycle cost analysis can be used to assess the economic viability of such investments [38].

Communication and marketing: Effective communication and marketing can raise awareness among consumers about the sustainability initiatives of the F&B department and promote customer demand for sustainable food options [39]. Hotels can use various communication channels, such as websites, social media, menus, and signage, to communicate their sustainability efforts and educate consumers about the benefits of sustainable food choices [40].

Monitoring and reporting: Hotels should establish mechanisms to track the progress and impacts of sustainability initiatives in the F&B department. Key performance indicators (KPIs) can be established to measure and report on environmental, social, and economic performance, and regular reporting can help identify areas for improvement and celebrate successes [41,42].

By analyzing the aforementioned items, the literature indicates that hotels in general are increasingly prioritizing sourcing of food from local, organic, and sustainable sources [43]. Practices which involves building relationships with local farmers and producers, using organic and sustainably grown ingredients, and prioritizing fair trade and ethically sourced products [44]. Using this approach allows to support not only local communities and sustainable food production, but also reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and processing of food products [45]. In this matter, hotels are focusing on menu optimizations to include seasonal, locally available ingredients and plant-based options [46,47]. This promotes biodiversity conservation, reduces the environmental impact of food production, and provides healthier and more sustainable dining choices for guests [48]. Regarding the waste reduction and management, hotels are implementing effective practices in their F&B operations. Such practices includes source separation of waste, recycling, and composting programs to minimize waste generation and promote recycling [15]. Hotels are exploring innovative solutions such as food donation programs to reduce food waste and address social responsibility [49,50]. They are also implementing water-efficient fixtures, water reuse systems, and promoting water-saving behaviors among staff to minimize water consumption are measures that contribute to effective water management [51,52,53]. In regard to energy reduction and greenhouse gas emissions, hotels are using energy-efficient appliances, optimizing equipment usage, and promoting energy-saving behaviors among staff [10]. The staff engagement and training are critical for the successful implementation of sustainable food practices so that providing training and education programs it’s possible to create awareness, knowledge, and behaviors towards sustainability among their staff. This includes regular staff training sessions, workshops, and ongoing communication about the importance and benefits of sustainable food practices [54,55,56,57,58]. Regarding the stakeholder collaboration, hotels are working with suppliers, vendors, and local communities to promote sustainable food practices by involving close communication and looking for someone that shares similar sustainability values and engagement to support local food systems and promote sustainability initiatives [59,60,61]. The monitoring and measurement is assured by hotels systems that track and evaluate the effectiveness of their sustainable food practices by setting up key performance indicators (KPIs), conducting regular audits and using sustainability certifications and labels to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability [62,63]. Through the implementation of smart kitchen technologies, food waste tracking and management tools, and sustainable packaging solutions, hotels are leveraging innovation and technology to promote sustainable food practices in their F&B department [64,65,66]. Communication and education initiatives represent other important steps that hotels are engaging with their guests to raise awareness about their sustainable food practices, through the provision of information about sustainable menu options, sharing the hotel’s sustainability initiatives through marketing and communication channels, and encouraging guest participation in sustainability programs [40,67,68].