Focusing on food for the elderly; a topic at ELDEX ASIA
With the steady growth of elderly consumers in the Asia Pacific region, Singapore’s trade and development agency, Enterprise Singapore, together with the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), will be supporting about ten local food companies to exhibit at the Food for Elders Pavilion at the inaugural showing of ELDEX ASIA exhibition, to be held from 8-10 November 2019 at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre. These companies will be showcasing new products including ready-to-eat meals, protein-rich natural foods, calorie and nutrient-dense snacks, desserts and beverages, which have been developed to meet the unique needs and preferences of elderly consumers.
Kee Ai Nah, Executive Director of the Lifestyle & Consumer Cluster in Enterprise Singapore has explained that the agency supports food products suitable and beneficial for the elderly according to their unique palate and preferences, given that the number of Singaporeans aged above 65 will also increase from 500,000 (one in seven) in 2017 to 900,000 (one in four) by 2030.
She adds, “The elderly have unique preferences and needs for food products in terms of nutrition, taste, texture, packaging and ease of preparation. Enterprise Singapore currently supports our homegrown companies in the development of high-quality, innovative, tasty and functional food products that are suitable and beneficial for the elderly. Many of these products were created in response to real problem statements provided by hospitals and eldercare homes.”
Food for Elders is an initiative under FoodInnovate, a multi-agency effort led by Enterprise Singapore. FoodInnovate supports local manufacturers equipped with the resources and knowledge to develop new ideas, products and processes, potentially leading the nation to become Asia’s food and nutrition hub.
Joseph Yeo, ELDEX Director has observed that one of the conference themes at the show will be Nutrition for Elders. He explained, “The theme has been identified by our Advisory Board Chairman, Dr. Tan Jit Seng. Elderly nutrition is a topic of growing interest in the region. We are particularly keen to support the initiative as the products are created largely in response to what buyers like nursing homes seek for their residents. Such an approach is aligned with our ambition to develop products for the industry by the industry.”
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