Pioneering Sustainable Gastronomy in Macau Through Culinary Excellence and Environmental Leadership
[June 23, 2025, Macau] For June’s Sustainable Gastronomy Month, MGM proudly announces that its one Michelin star restaurant Aji at MGM COTAI has become the first restaurant in Macau to achieve the highest three-star rating in its first-ever evaluation under the globally recognised Food Made Good Standard — the world’s leading sustainability certification for the hospitality sector, developed by The Sustainable Restaurant Association. This milestone sets a new benchmark in Macau's dining scene, marking a powerful convergence of culinary excellence and sustainability leadership.
Aji presents an innovative and fun-filled dining experience, coined by Chef de Cuisine Pan Sihui as the “Asian Bistronomy.” Through a spectrum of bold flavors and striking visual components — a unique approach that elevates the dining experience while aligning with MGM’s commitment to culinary creativity and sustainability.
The Food Made Good Standard represents the hospitality industry's leading global sustainability certification, evaluating restaurants through rigorous, evidence-based criteria across 10 focus areas in three core pillars: Sourcing, Society and Environment. To achieve certification, businesses must demonstrate measurable progress in areas like governance policies, reducing waste, carbon emissions, and water usage, alongside ethical sourcing, staff welfare and community engagement. Aji's top-tier rating reflects its holistic commitment, from responsible sourcing and resource efficiency to preservation of culinary heritage and transparent guest communication.
Kenneth Feng, President and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited, said: "Macau’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy inspires us to lead meaningful change that honors our rich culinary traditions while embracing innovative practices. This recognition proves that luxury hospitality and environmental responsibility can thrive together, as we remain dedicated to building a more sustainable future — not just for our industry, but for the communities we serve.”
The accomplishment coincides with MGM's participation in the "Sustainable SEAFood Festival" organized by the Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition (HKSSC) in celebration of World Oceans Day. Running from 1 to 30 June 2025, the festival spans Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, featuring over 45 restaurants showcasing curated sustainable seafood menus. MGM is proud to contribute with a total of 24 sustainable seafood dishes across 15 restaurants, offering guests a dining experience that balances delicious taste with environmental responsibility. These initiatives complement MGM's recent milestone of transitioning to 100% cage-free eggs across all its F&B operations in Macau, which underscores the company's commitment to animal welfare and responsible sourcing practices throughout its operations.
To further strengthen its sustainability capabilities and extend this initiative to the community, MGM invited renowned plant-based zero waste Chef Vojtech Vegh for a specialized food waste workshop on June 23. One session was attended by 40 culinary talents from MGM's F&B team focused on preventing food waste at its source and transforming scraps into creative, high-quality dishes, whilst another was arranged for Macao University of Tourism, engaging students, faculty members, and the culinary team in sustainability practices.
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About MGM
MGM is an abbreviation for MGM China Holdings Limited (HKEx: 2282) and is a leading developer, owner and operator of gaming and lodging resorts in Greater China. We are the holding company of MGM Grand Paradise, SA which holds one of the six gaming concessions to run casino games in Macau. MGM Grand Paradise, SA owns and operates MGM MACAU, the award-winning premium integrated resort located on the Macau Peninsula and MGM COTAI, a contemporary luxury integrated resort in Cotai.
MGM MACAU is a Forbes Five-Star luxury integrated resort inspired by the arts with every element of the resort infused with creativity and style. MGM MACAU has approximately 600 guest rooms and suites and boasts a number of distinguishing features, including the architecturally stunning European-inspired Grande Praça, housed under a soaring glass ceiling. The POLY MGM MUSEUM spanning almost 2,000 square meters, is constructed in accordance with Chinese national standards for the exhibition of Grade-One cultural relics. MGM MACAU’s world class facilities also include conference and event facilities, spa, and seven signature restaurants and bars to fulfill any gastronomic craving. Our property is conveniently located on the Macau Peninsula and is directly connected to the luxury retail shopping complex, One Central.
Designed as the “jewelry box” of Cotai, MGM COTAI offers approximately 1,400 hotel rooms and suites, meeting space, high end spa, retail offerings, food and beverage outlets as well as the first international Mansion at MGM for the ultimate luxury experience. MGM has joined hands with renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou to set up the “Macau 2049” residency in MGM Theater. The Spectacle at MGM COTAI becomes the record holder of the largest free-span gridshell glazed roof (self-supporting) on January 19, 2019, making it the first architectural and structural GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Macau, China. MGM COTAI is being developed to drive greater product diversification and bring more advanced and innovative forms of entertainment to Macau as it grows as a global tourist destination. MGM COTAI is the only mega complex and hotel in Macau to gain three-star certification in both Green Building Design and Operation Label, as well as the first hotel in the Greater Bay Area and second in Greater China to receive the certifications.
MGM China is majority owned by MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.
About The Sustainable Restaurant Association
Since 2010, The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA) has set the Standard for sustainable food and drink businesses, connecting businesses across the globe to accelerate change toward a hospitality sector that is socially progressive and environmentally restorative. They do this through the world’s largest sustainability certification tailored for the sector, the Food Made Good Standard, as well as through tailored consultancy work and strategic partnerships. The Food Made Good Standard is awarded to restaurants and other F&B businesses around the world that meet a set of rigorous, measurable criteria across three main focus areas: Sourcing, Society and Environment. Taking a big-picture, holistic view of what sustainability should mean in modern hospitality, the certification aims to encourage, support and recognise sustainability practices across the F&B industry worldwide.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Jessie Kuan
Executive Director of Public Relations
MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3412
Email: jessiekuan@mgm.mo
Karen Lam
Assistant Director of Corporate Relations
MGM
Tel: (853) 8806 3421
Email: karenlam@mgm.mo
