A healthy future for all?

Sustainability

A healthy future for all?

Laurel West

Editorial director, Asia

Laurel is editorial director of The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in Asia. She has lived in Asia for more than 20 years, including 12 years spent in The Economist Intelligence Unit's core country analysis division covering India and South-east Asia. Many of her recent thought leadership projects have focused on China. She has a wide range of interests, including globalisation, education, the evolution of consumer markets in Asia and women's issues (both in overall development and the corporate world).

Key Findings

Demand for safe and nutritious food will rise dramatically across Asia-Pacific in the next five years as purchasing power increases
Rapidly growing cross-border trade in food and livestock is making monitoring of food quality difficult
Food companies will need to make investments to maintain the integrity of their supply chains, notably in China
Global food companies have a large role to play in improving food safety, yet in some markets they are discouraged from investing
Market demand for safe food will be a major driver of corporate activity in the near future
China's larger food companies are increasingly looking abroad to meet future demands for safe, high-quality food at home
Obesity is a rising concern in the region, and companies are likely to come under pressure to join governments in the battle against it
At the same time, demand for products perceived to be healthier is growing
The scourge of "hidden danger"—or micronutrient malnutrition (MNM)—in Asia is focusing minds on the challenge of improving the nutritional value of staple foods
Addressing malnutrition at the bottom of the pyramid can make business sense
A regional regulatory regime will be difficult to create, judging from Europe's experience

Read our Chinese and Japanese versions of the report.

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A healthy future for all?

Sustainability

A healthy future for all?

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Key Findings

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