Food security has been the name of the game in recent years as an essential component of strategies to feed an estimated 9.7 billion people worldwide by 2050, especially in resource-poor countries like Singapore.
However, food manufacturing giant Nestle has warned the that even though many countries are making progress to this end in terms of food availability and access to food, nutrition security has been losing out.
“The challenge has evolved [whereby now] undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight or obesity coexist within the same communities, and sometimes even within the same households — this is what experts call the ‘triple burden of malnutrition’,” Nestle Malaysia Business Executive Officer for Nutrition Yeoh She Siang said.
“In many Asian countries, although we see positive developments in food availability and consumer awareness, at the same time gaps remain in areas such as micronutrient intake, dietary diversity, nutrition literacy, and access to affordable nutritious foods for vulnerable populations.”
This all culminates in a lack of nutrition security for the region, whereby there is still not enough effort being placed on ensuring consumers have access to the right balance of essential nutrients in their diets, no matter how much of food they are able to get on their plates.
“[Lacking a balance of] essential nutrients essentially means they are not well-equipped for healthy growth, development, productivity, and healthy ageing,” she added.
“This is concerning as maintaining the status quo means that we risk widening the gap between food security and nutrition security, [whereby we produce enough food but] many populations still face high rates of public health issues — and the long-term consequences of this extends well beyond health [into] economic and social implications.”
What is industry’s role in all of this?
Although it may be tempting to designate ‘adding nutrition into products’ as the food industry’s role, the fact is that things are not quite so straightforward when cost and access issues come into play.
This highlights the importance of improving existing products that consumers know, love and already accept as opposed to trying to reinvent the wheel.
“We believe that improving nutrition starts with continuously enhancing the nutritional profile of our products while ensuring they remain affordable, accessible, and relevant to local consumers,” Yeoh said.
“To do this, it is [important to implement] fortification. Many Nestlé products across different categories are fortified with vitamins and minerals to help address nutrient gaps where relevant [which] can be an effective and scalable way of improving nutrient intake, particularly when integrated into products that are already part of consumers’ daily habits.”
Product reformulation and renovation are also crucial, which Nestle has brought to life in its iconic brand Milo, particularly in Singapore where it has launched Milo Gao Siew Dai (Strong and Less sugar) and Milo Gao Kosong (Strong and No sugar).
“In categories such as breakfast cereals, efforts have focused on increasing whole grain content and improving overall nutritional quality as part of broader portfolio renovation initiatives,” she added.
Nestle Malaysia has committed to 100% of its ready-to-eat breakfast cereal portfolio using whole grains as the top ingredient and to contain at least 3g of fibre per 100g.
Then there is of course also the challenge of ensuring consumers choose the ‘healthier’ products from supermarket shelves, a situation that requires the improvement of both relevance and personalisation.
“Nestlé’s nutrition portfolio has products that support different nutritional needs throughout life, from early childhood nutrition to products that support healthy ageing, helping address specific nutritional requirements at different stages of life,” she said.
“More broadly, our approach combines science-based nutrition, product innovation, and partnerships to help make nutritious choices more accessible for more people.”
Action needs to be now
Crucially, Yeoh believes that these are all concerns and steps that need to be addressed immediately in order to really make a difference.
“Action today matters. The longer we wait to address affordability, nutrition literacy, and access to nutrient-rich foods, the greater the social and economic challenges become in the future,” she said.
“The future of nutrition innovation is not only about developing new products. It is also about understanding how those innovations can be scaled, how they can reach underserved populations, and how they can contribute to better health outcomes throughout life.”
It will take time to solve all of these challenges, but there is no better time to start.
“I truly believe we are entering an exciting period where advances in nutritional science, digital technologies, and collaborative models can help accelerate progress in nutrition security across Asia,” she said.
Find out more at the APAC Agri-Food Innovation Summit
Yeoh will be speaking at the APAC Agri-Food Innovation Summit in Singapore, held from October 27 to 29 at Suntec City Convention Centre.
More details on the agenda can be found here, and tickets can be booked here.
