The summit, to be held in Singapore on June 12 and 13, will assess the opportunities these dramatic demographic shifts can offer the industry in terms of creating innovative and nutritious products for both the older consumers of today and of tomorrow.
The Asia-Pacific region is currently home to about 60% of the world's population of older people, defined as those aged 60 and above. The number of older people in the region is expected to more than double from 547 million to nearly 1.3 billion by 2050.
Confirmed speakers include Yu Kai from Nestlé's China Research Centre, who will be revealing exclusive insights on the nation's ageing population and the business opportunities it presents.
Australian supplement giants Blackmores will also be represented, with a keynote address from the head of the Blackmores Insititute, Dr Lesley Braun.
Additionally, Swisse, now owned by Chinese outfit Health & Happiness (formerly Biostime), will be present, with its head of government relations Justin Howden taking to the stage.
Expert understanding
The event will also hear from two speakers with expert understanding around diabetes and GI.
Kathy Usic, from the Glycemic Index Foundation, will reveal how the Glycemic Index Symbol Programme is enabling manufacturers to meet consumers’ health needs.
The Low GI Symbol is a world first font-of-pack labelling programme that helps consumers identify low GI foods when shopping, and awareness has increased rapidly since it was introduced in the Australian food environment. The symbol is now ready to be rolled as a global standard for GI labelling among regulatory authorities.
The event will also hear from Dr Sumanto Halder, from Singapore's Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, who will reveal the latest findings on how functional ingredients can help tackle metabolic disorders
He will discuss how functional ingredients – especially those native to Asia – can help tackle a wide range of metabolic disorders, with particular relevance to an ageing population.
Gary Scattergood, editor-in-chief of NutraIngredients-Asia and FoodNavigator-Asia, said: "Asia-Pacific's ageing population and longer overall life expectancy means the demand for nutrition and food products suitable for the elderly population will soar, while younger people are increasingly aware that the nutrition and health choices they make today will affect their quality of life in older age.
"Therefore, this event will bring together businesses, policymakers and academics to evaluate the role the nutrition and food industry can play to meet these needs across the generations."
Wave of innovation
The event will take place at the Hilton Singapore, and will be accompanied by a host of networking opportunities, including roundtable lunches and an evening cocktail reception.
Scattergood added: "Over the past 18 months, there has been a noticeable increase in product innovation and research around ingredients and products that can improve the general health and well-being of the region's population, so it can enjoy a healthier older age.
"This includes everything, from the reformulation of popular products with reduced sugar and salt content, to new functional food creations, and the next generation of supplement solutions.
"The Healthy Ageing APAC summit will bring together the latest wave of innovation, and pinpoint what more can be done to tap into the ever-increasing interest in health and wellness among consumers and governments across the region."
To find out more about the event, visit https://www.healthyageingsummit-asiapacific.com/
To register, go to https://www.healthyageingsummit-asiapacific.com/register/
To learn more about the comprehensive commercial and sponsorship opportunities at the event, please contact junia.tan@wrbm.com.
