Swisse to reveal how industry and policymakers can work together at Healthy Ageing APAC Summit

17-Apr-2018 - Last updated on 17-Apr-2018 at 11:24 GMT

The event will take place in Singapore on June 12 and 13.

Swisse Wellness' head of government relations Justin Howden will deliver a keynote address at our upcoming Healthy Ageing APAC Summit, assessing how policymakers and industry can best work together to improve the health and well-being of the population.

The event, organised by NutraIngredients-Asia and FoodNavigator-Asia, will take place on June 12 and 13 in Singapore.

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.

The summit will assess the opportunities these dramatic demographic shifts can offer the industry in terms of creating innovative and nutritious products for the older consumers of both today and tomorrow.

Howden's presentation will stress that collaboration and partnership are key to ensuring that the preventive health and wellness needs of Asia's rapidly changing populations are met.

He will discusses how policymakers can aid industry through sensible regulation, and advocate that responsible companies should work with governments and researchers to help consumers understand that achieving a healthy old age depends on nutritional decisions made decades before.

Finally, he'll look at the opportunities that exist for successful public-private partnerships.

Trade and innovation

Howden's career started in marketing with food giants Kraft and Fonterra, and since joining Swisse in 2012, he has brought his expertise to the company's Government Affairs and Industry Development team.

Now part of The H&H Group that fully acquired Swisse in December 2016 for almost $1.7bn, the team covers the wider group's global and local public policy contributions to health, trade, innovation, regulation, and advanced manufacturing.

Howden has also led the development of the Swisse strategic science program of validation and clinical trials with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the University sector.

He is also on the boards of Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) and the European Australia Business Council, and is president of the Royal Exchange of Sydney.

Other confirmed speakers include the head of the Blackmores Institute, Dr Lesley Braun, the deputy head of Nestle's Research Center in China, Yu Kai, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Health, Chee Hong Tat, Nutri Co's Naomi Suzuki, and Dr Bejit Ideas from the Japan Anti-Ageing Society.

Gary Scattergood, editor-in-chief of NutraIngredients-Asia and FoodNavigator-Asia, said: "Asia-Pacific's ageing population and longer overall life expectancy mean 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."

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 whavn.gna@jeoz.pbz.

The event will take place at the Hilton Singapore, and will be accompanied by a host of networking opportunities, including round-table lunches and an evening cocktail reception.