Guangzhou — Yang Guo Fu Malatang won praise today from international NGO Lever China for becoming the first Chinese restaurant chain to formally commit to plant-based menu development, announcing plans to transform 60 percent of its offerings to plant-based options by 2025. This commitment spans the company’s nearly 7,000 stores globally across more than 20 countries and 370 cities, establishing a new benchmark for sustainable dining practices in China’s food service industry.

The commitment supports Yang Guo Fu’s “Five-Color Dietary Therapy” philosophy, encouraging customers to select a balanced mix of green, red, white, black, and yellow ingredients for optimal nutrition.

Founded in 2003, the brand recently celebrated the opening of its first concept store in Marina Square, Singapore, featuring more than 80 fresh ingredients for customer customization. 

The announcement comes as China’s National Health Commission launched a “Three-Year Weight Management Campaign” in March 2024, promoting healthier eating habits and weight awareness nationwide. Yang Guo Fu’s plant-based initiative positions the company to meet rising consumer demands for healthier, more nutritious, and lower-fat meal options while advancing the company’s core values of “sustainable health, shared success, and grateful responsibility.”

“Yang Guo Fu is committed to delivering the highest standards in ingredient quality and consumer experience,” the company noted in its official statement on the new policy. “Through continuous innovation and menu enhancement, we aim to increase the share of plant-based offerings to 60% by 2025, providing more diverse choices for our customers, contributing to environmental protection, and setting a positive example for sustainable development in the restaurant industry.”

“We highly commend Yang Guo Fu for its responsible brand image,” said Wenjia Fan, Sustainability Program Manager at Shanghai-based consultancy Lever China, which is partnering with Yang Guo Fu on this initiative. “By fulfilling their social responsibilities, they’ve become the first Chinese restaurant group to set a clear plant-based goal. We hope that under Yang Guo Fu’s leadership, more Chinese restaurant brands will join this trend and help move China’s food service industry toward a more sustainable future.”

The initiative aligns with growing consumer demand for healthier dining options, as demonstrated by Lever China’s market survey of thousands of Chinese consumers, which revealed that nearly 90 percent believe plant-based foods are more nutritious and plan to increase consumption within the following year. Almost 85 percent of respondents also hoped restaurants would offer more plant-based options.

Research shows that plant-based proteins generate up to 90 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions and require up to 90 percent less land and water use than animal proteins, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that plant-based foods generate approximately 50 percent less food waste than meat and dairy foods, highlighting the significant environmental benefits of Yang Guo Fu’s new initiative.

About Lever China

Lever China is a Shanghai-based consultancy that works with leading companies to help them upgrade their food sourcing for a more humane, safe, and sustainable supply chain, focusing on upgraded animal protein and plant-based foods.