Food for Elders to showcase products at ELDEX Asia

Enterprise Singapore, the trade and enterprise development government agency, together with the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), will be supporting close to ten Singapore-based food companies to exhibit at the Food for Elders Pavilion at the inaugural ELDEX ASIA exhibition and conference in November 2019. These companies will showcase new products developed to meet the unique needs and preferences of elderly consumers, ranging from ready-to-eat meals, protein-rich natural foods, as well as calorie- and nutrient-dense snacks, desserts and beverages.

Ms Kee Ai Nah, Executive Director of the Lifestyle & Consumer Cluster in Enterprise Singapore said, “As the segment of elderly consumers in the Asia Pacific region grows, 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. The elderly has 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.”

Elderly nutrition is a topic of growing interest in Asia.

Food for Elders is an initiative under FoodInnovate, a multi-agency^[1] effort led by Enterprise Singapore. FoodInnovate supports Singapore-based food manufacturers with the resources and knowledge to develop new ideas, products and processes. It is a deliberate, concerted effort by both public and private sector stakeholders to position Singapore as Asia’s leading food and nutrition hub. More information can be found at https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/industries/type/food-manufacturing/boostcapabilities.

Mr Joseph Yeo, ELDEX Director, observed, “One of the conference themes identified by our Advisory Board Chairman, Dr Tan Jit Seng, is Nutrition for Elders. Elderly nutrition is a topic of growing interest in the region. We are therefore excited that we are able to work closely with Enterprise Singapore to feature Food for Elders at ELDEX Asia. 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. We are confident that exhibitors at the Food for Elders Pavilion will meet their potential clients from Singapore and the region through our various initiatives including the hosted buyers programme. We are also delighted that we have the support of the Association of Small Medium Enterprises to oversee the Singapore Pavilion. With the support of ASME and Enterprise Singapore, Singapore companies can leverage ELDEX Asia as a platform to further grow their business.”

ELDEX Asia, the first dedicated for the eldercare industry,  takes place from 8-9 November 2019 at Halls 405 and 406 of the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singpore.

[1] Other government partners include the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA); the Economic Development Board Singapore (EDB); the Intellectual Property Intermediary (IPI) and JTC Corporation (JTC)