Few sectors attract as much ESG attention as the cruise industry, and food sourcing is one of the most closely watched. Stakeholders now expect clear, verifiable animal welfare standards across pork, poultry, eggs, beef, and seafood. While commitments exist, actual implementation varies widely by protein type and the realities of global provisioning.
Seafood: The Clear Leader
Among all protein categories, seafood has advanced the furthest. Certification through the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has become the standard reference point, with rigorous checks on stock health, ecosystem impact, farming practices, and labor.
Holland America Line set a new industry milestone in 2024 by achieving fleetwide MSC and ASC Chain of Custody certification across all 11 ships, ensuring that certified seafood remains separated throughout the supply chain and appears with recognizable labels on guest menus. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also reported that 75 percent of its seafood was certified in 2023 and set a target of reaching 100 percent by 2025. This level of visibility and verification makes seafood the strongest success story to date.
Poultry: Progress with Ambiguity
Poultry welfare policies are advancing, though unevenly. Many commitments reference the GAP 5-Step Program, which prohibits cages at Step 1 and progressively raises standards through enrichment, outdoor access, and pasture-based systems. In practice, however, vague wording such as “GAP or similar” often appears in policies without defining what “similar” entails. This lack of clarity complicates verification and accountability.
Some progress is measurable. NCLH reported 96 percent compliance with chicken welfare standards in 2023 for its North American supply, signaling strong momentum in that region. Carnival, by contrast, disclosed only 25 percent progress as of 2022, with a target set for 2025. Despite these moves, poultry sourcing still struggles with ambiguity, and reporting rarely addresses slaughter methods like Controlled Atmosphere Stunning, which are increasingly seen as central to credible welfare claims.
Eggs: Momentum with Bottlenecks
Cage-free eggs are the area where the cruise industry shows the clearest alignment. Every major operator has committed to sourcing 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025, and progress is visible. NCLH, for example, reported 81 percent cage-free shell eggs in 2023, while Carnival disclosed 58 percent in 2022. Viking adopted its policy in 2023, also aiming for the 2025 deadline.
Yet beneath the momentum lie persistent bottlenecks. Most of the reported progress refers to shell eggs, while liquid and processed egg formats continue to lag due to distinct supply chains. Regional constraints at provisioning ports also affect availability, suggesting that while cage-free shell eggs will likely reach near-universal adoption by 2025, complete coverage across all egg formats will be harder to achieve in the same timeframe.
Pork: The Stubborn Challenge
Pork is the most difficult category for the industry to transform. Transitioning away from gestation crates requires costly barn retrofits and significant changes to sow management practices, slowing progress even for companies that made commitments more than a decade ago.
The data illustrates this challenge. NCLH reported just 16 percent crate-free pork in 2023 and pushed its original 2025 deadline back to 2027. Carnival disclosed 29 percent crate-free pork as of 2022, still short of its 2025 target. Royal Caribbean made early pledges but has not provided recent updates, leaving its current progress unclear. Overall, the pork category continues to fall behind and remains the most at risk for missed deadlines.
Beef: The Unaddressed Gap
Beef represents the most conspicuous gap. Despite the availability of welfare programs such as Certified Humane, GAP beef standards, and the Beef Quality Assurance program, no major cruise operator has set a time-bound commitment to source beef under third-party certification. The absence of measurable progress here contrasts sharply with the advances in seafood and eggs, and as other categories mature, attention from NGOs and investors is likely to turn toward beef supply chains.
Why Progress Varies
The unevenness across categories reflects several systemic factors. Global logistics play a central role, as cruise ships provision at ports around the world where certified supply is inconsistent. Importing certified products can raise emissions, while sourcing locally may compromise welfare standards, forcing operators to balance competing priorities. Many policies also contain “supply constraint” clauses that allow exceptions when certified products are unavailable, but these caveats blur accountability. On top of that, inconsistent reporting—whether distinguishing between shell eggs and all egg formats or publishing data at different cadences—makes it difficult to compare progress across brands or track industry-wide momentum.
What Lies Ahead
Cage-free shell eggs are likely to reach near-universal adoption by 2025, though liquid and processed eggs remain a challenge. Seafood certification will expand further, with MSC and ASC labels becoming more common on menus. Poultry commitments, however, still need sharper definition, moving from vague wording to specific GAP Step levels and clearer slaughter method reporting.
Pork and beef remain the weakest areas. Pork timelines continue to slip due to cost and infrastructure hurdles, while beef commitments are still absent. For cruise lines, the path forward will depend on working with food suppliers that not only meet animal welfare benchmarks but also share broader sustainability goals.
At True Grade, our mission is to make the food supply chain greener and more transparent—because only by aligning with responsible partners can the cruise industry move closer to achieving its long-term sustainability targets.
