FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal

The final issue of FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal for 2025 returns to a central question: how has industry supported healthier consumer choices? How can they do so in the coming years? 

Even now, despite innovation, the grip of malnutrition and food insecurity reminds us of how difficult these issues are to address. Data from the World Obesity Federation's Atlas 2025, show rising obesity rates in Southeast Asia. With the exception of Singapore, where obesity rates appear to have stabilized, the rest of the region, particularly in urban areas, is seeing a continued rise. 

This brings us to our special report drawn from the webinar, Advancing Food System Policy: Regional Analyses and Implementation Experiences from Asia and Africa, organized by SHAPE Asia. Focusing on the reasons why consumption of fruits and vegetables is low in their respective regions, academic experts in essence bared the gap between nutrition policy and actual consumption patterns. It raises a critical question: What's happening along the farm-to-retail chain that's preventing fruits and vegetables from reaching consumers'tables, and what can be done to change that? 

Meanwhile, at Fi Asia and Vitafoods Asia 2025, we talked to companies whose products and concepts are helping grow the development of healthier products and concepts for Asian consumers. In food safety, we focus on solutions for ready-to-eat (RTE) food production. 

In another report, we spotlight what Timor-Leste's membership to the ASEAN will mean for Southeast Asia's food and beverage industry.