Accelerating Nutrition Security in Asia

While companies and governments strive to address food security in Asia, how are they also delivering on access to nutritious food and regional nutritional needs?

Article by: Rethink Events

Millions of people across Asia face significant challenges when it comes to accessing or affording a healthy diet. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for half of the world’s severe food insecurity, with more women than men affected by this crisis.

Asia faces significant challenges, particularly due to the region’s reliance on agriculture and vulnerability to climate risks, as well as a mix of factors including population growth, an ageing population, urbanisation, economic disparities and agricultural challenges.

The Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit, taking place in at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on November 19-21, offers the opportunity for agri-food leaders to unite and discover innovative solutions and financing strategies to meet rising demand for nourishing foods while building climate resilience.

Ahead of the summit, hear from FrieslandCampina , Nurasa , Meros Consulting , Agritecture, Green Bridge Partners Singapore and Tan Tock Seng Hospital?as these leaders offer strategic insights on accelerating nutrition security in Asia Pacific.

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The Urbanisation Challenge

As the pace of urbanisation quickens in Asia-Pacific, so too does the threat of urban food insecurity.? The shift towards urban living is transforming food supply chains and production methods, making it harder for some communities to access fresh and nutritious produce. In urban areas, “food deserts” have emerged, where people have limited access to healthy food and are often reliant on processed, nutrient-poor options. At the same time, the migration of rural populations to cities is reducing the number of farmers, threatening the future of food production.

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The Triple Burden Challenge

Asia-Pacific has a complex challenge of varying nutritional needs coexisting within regional populations. The “triple burden” of malnutrition refers to three distinct but interconnected problems: undernutrition, overnutrition (or obesity), and micronutrient deficiencies. Each of these nutritional problems affects different segments of the population, creating a multifaceted crisis that demands comprehensive solutions.

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The Scale of Malnutrition

The severity of malnutrition in the region is evident in studies like FrieslandCampina’s latest Southeast Asia Nutrition Survey, which found that over 70% of children across Southeast Asia fail to meet the recommended daily intake of calcium, and 84% are deficient in vitamin D.

Corine Tap , President Asia, FrieslandCampina comments, “these deficiencies are leading contributors to the high rates of stunting and wasting among children.” These conditions not only stunt physical growth but also impair brain development, setting back entire generations.

For families who can only afford basic staples like rice, the lack of diverse and nutritious food options exacerbates this problem. Without access to a wider range of foods, children are especially vulnerable to long-term health consequences that hinder both their physical and cognitive development.

Public-Private Partnerships

In Asia, key stakeholders such as governments, the private sector and NGOs are taking various measures to improve affordable and accessible nutrition.

Strategies include diversifying food imports, boosting local food production through agri-tech, and subsidising healthier food options.

XiuLing 秀玲 GUO 郭 , Chief Executive Officer, Nurasa offers an example, explaining how in Singapore the Singapore Food Agency is supporting local farms through initiatives like the Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme.

“Additionally, governments are focusing on fortified food solutions and nutrition education to ensure vulnerable populations have access to nutritious foods” XuiLing says, “These efforts aim to enhance food security and affordability while encouraging sustainable and resilient food systems across the region.”

Another approach governments across Asia are trying is food subsidies and school feeding programmes. “Indonesia, for instance, aims to reduce stunting to 14% by end of 2024, while Malaysia promotes healthier diets for children through fortified food options” Corine offers.

FrieslandCampina supports such initiatives, by delivering dairy products aligned with local nutritional needs, Corine Tap continues, “We work in alignment with government efforts through locally sourced farming and strategic partnerships, ensuring that our dairy products are affordable and accessible to all.”

As large companies have increasing influence in shaping the nutritional landscape of agri-food, it is even more important for them to join forces with governments and work together to ensure access to affordable healthy diets.

As XiuLing Guo says, “Public-private partnerships are essential in creating a nutrition-centric food system by combining the strengths of both sectors.”

“Governments provide policy frameworks, funding, and infrastructure, while private companies like Nurasa contribute expertise in food innovation and scalable solutions” she continues, explaining how Nurasa collaborates with research institutes, such as A*STAR’s SIFBI, and industry partners like ADM and CREMER to develop fortified, sustainable foods that address malnutrition.

Corin Tap surmises: “By pooling expertise and resources, we can deliver impactful, scalable solutions that combat malnutrition more effectively.”

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Diversifying Food Imports: Japan Case Study

Diversifying food imports and trade play a significant role in ensuring affordable and accessible nutrition in Asia, complementing domestic agricultural production and government initiatives. This is even more relevant for countries with low self-sufficiency and high risk to climate shocks.

Japan, for example, is a country with 38% self-sufficiency, is highly vulnerable to climate and nutritional challenges. Chisa Ogura , Co-Founder & General Manager, Meros Consulting , explains that securing stable food imports is a number one priority for the country. She goes on to explain the impact this has had on nutrition in Japan: “Imports have led to dietary changes that have greatly improved the nutritional situation, such as the increasing availability of protein.”

Several Japanese companies have launched initiatives to collaborate with smallholder farmers in supplying countries to develop and promote regenerative farming practices suitable for local conditions: “The Japanese government is supporting such efforts by providing a variety of funding for the R&D and demonstration phases of these initiatives.”

Japanese food companies are seeing the importance in strengthening their global supply chains, especially with smallholder farmers in Asia. Chisa continues, “The growing understanding that large corporations must take responsibility for supply chain sustainability is driving these activities.”

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Controlled Environment Agriculture:?Increasing Diversity and Access to Fruit and Vegetables

As Asia-Pacific becomes increasingly urbanised, the risk of urban food insecurity grows, particularly in regions where agricultural land is transformed into bustling cities. However, innovative approaches like Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offer solutions to this challenge by stabilising food security and improving access to nutrition.

According to Henry Gordon-Smith , Founder & CEO of Agritecture , “CEA can bring fresh, locally grown produce to urban areas in Asia, reducing dependence on imported food and addressing food deserts when located near food-insecure communities.”

This localised production is particularly important in cities where access to fresh produce is limited, helping to alleviate the nutritional gaps that arise from relying on imported foods. “One reason for this is that as food is transported, its nutritional value is reduced in the process post-harvest,” he explains, underscoring the advantage of locally grown food.

CEA systems are highly effective in producing nutrient-rich crops year-round, even in regions with limited arable land. By controlling environmental factors like light, temperature, and humidity, these systems ensure a continuous supply of high-quality produce. This is especially crucial in urban environments that lack the space for traditional farming. “Furthermore, by controlling climate conditions, CEA systems produce high-nutrient crops year-round,” adds Gordon-Smith, pointing to the technology’s ability to maintain food production regardless of external weather conditions.

An additional benefit of CEA is its capacity to increase the diversity of fruits and vegetables grown, which strengthens food systems by building resilience against supply chain disruptions and crop failures. “Increasing diversity in fruits and vegetables strengthens the food system by enhancing resilience,” Gordon-Smith notes. This diversity also plays a key role in improving nutrition for urban populations, providing them access to a broader range of vitamins and minerals that are essential for health. “It also promotes better nutrition by providing consumers access to a wider range of essential vitamins and minerals,” he adds.

The business advantages of CEA are equally compelling. By cultivating a more diverse range of crops, growers can spread risk and attract a wider range of customers. “More diversity of crops can spread risk of customer pivots and also help CEA growers access interest from more customers with a wider range of SKUs,” says Henry Gordon-Smith, highlighting the economic opportunities this technology presents.

Furthermore, advances in plant breeding, genetic selection, and precision growing techniques are allowing CEA systems to become even more efficient. “Developing cultivars optimized for low light or compact growth can increase efficiency in vertical farms,” explains Henry Gordon-Smith, as these innovations lead to higher yields and better-quality produce. This adaptability is crucial for ensuring a sustainable supply of nutritious food in urban centres, supporting both public health and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Food as Medicine

As attitudes around the importance of gut health are becoming more mainstream, the food industry is having to adapt to target and find appropriate innovations in food solutions.

To dig into this topic, we spoke to Mona Manghani , Consultant Rheumatologist & Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician for Tan Tock Seng Hospital?and Kelvin Ng ?? , Managing Partner Asia, Green Bridge Partners Singapore .

Today’s consumers are getting more health conscious than ever, but large food companies are slow to adapt, allowing newcomers to take that lost shelf space.

“The functional foods segment is buzzing with innovations by emerging players and start-ups focusing on enhancing gut health, especially by utilising prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics” Kelvin Ng observes, “Big Food companies should start partnering with microbiome companies and learn more about how their foods affect gut health. This is an area that the pharmaceutical industry has already adopted.”

Governments are incentivising this in some cases. Mona Manghani outlines that in Singapore the Health Promotion Board supports manufacturers and suppliers to develop healthier products.

“The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social and Family Development have implemented programmes to increase access and educate lower-income households on health nutrition” she says. “Despite this, there is much more that needs to be done.”

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Join the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit this November to hear from these global leaders, and many more, including Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Unilever, Thai Union, IRRI and Mondelez. Discover the agenda or register now.?