Session at IUNS-ICN2025 – Nutrient Recommendations

Session title: Approaches to Nutrient Recommendations and Meal-based Nutrient Profiling System (NPS) in Southeast Asia
Time and location: MON 25 AUG | 11:15 - 12:45 | room 251
Session chair : Prof. Connie Weaver, San Diego State University

Objective

This session will update, highlight and share the approaches and efforts undertaken by the SEA Region with regards to nutrient recommendations and meal-based nutrient profiling system (NPS).

Background

ILSI Southeast Asia Region and FAO pioneered the first regional effort to provide a platform for discussion on recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for the 10 SEA countries between 1997 and 2003. A recent review paper by the Southeast Asia Public Health Nutrition Network (SEA-PHN) (Tee et al., 2023) provided an overview of the available nutrient recommendations in SEA countries, as well as the approaches and scientific principles undertaken by these countries to formulate their own national energy and nutrient recommendations. It recognized that due to limited resources and expertise, there is a lack of original research data within the region to establish nutrient requirements based on original experimental data for the local population. Rather, recommendations were adapted or adopted from key international and renowned research organizations, such as WHO/FAO, FNB-IOM, and EFSA. With new developments and initiatives on the global level to explore and deliberate on ways to provide a uniform and consistent basis for setting nutrient intake (NIV) recommendations across countries through a harmonized process (Pray & Yaktine, 2018; Allen et al., 2020), ILSI SEA Region reconvened a Nutrient Recommendations Working Group ( NRWG) that supports regional and international experts and health agencies representatives to review, discuss and establish consensus on a harmonized science-based approach to recommended nutrients intake for SEA. This effort will also impact the nutrient profiling system within the region, since the setting of nutrient profiles is an exercise that takes into account dietary and nutrient recommendations that are of public health importance..

Line up

• Review of Recommended Nutrient Intake Values in Southeast Asian Countries (E-Siong Tee, Nutrition Society of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
• Harmonization of Approaches to Nutrient Reference Values for Southeast Asian Countries: Why and How? (Emorn Udomkesmalee, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Tambon Salaya, Thailand)
• Application of Novel Technology in Meal-based Nutrient Profiling System (NPS) (Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, Thailand)
• Japan’s Nutrient Profile Model for Dishes: A Trigger to Food Reformulation for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (Hidemi Takimoto,National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Japan)
• Panel Discussion (all speakers)