A conference on policies and technologies to promote healthy aging through diet was held March 26 in Taipei City under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, highlighting government commitment to working with partners to increase quality of life for all.
Organized by the Health Promotion Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the event involved over 300 participants from 10 APEC member economies, with representatives and experts from Canada, Japan and Singapore invited to share their insights, the MOHW said. The event focused on issues spanning nutrition development strategy and policy, exploring a healthy diet for aging with evidence-based practices, and ways to construct an age-friendly environment with artificial intelligence applications, the ministry added.
Mary R. L’Abbe, professor emeritus of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, delivered a keynote that addressed global nutrition issues and challenges, the MOHW said. Academics and officials from Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam also shared domestic policies in a panel discussion during the event, it added.
The MOHW stressed the importance of nutrition and referenced the U.N.’s plan for a decade of healthy aging. It added that the government has adopted numerous relevant policies in light of Taiwan becoming a super-aging society in 2025.
Among them is the Nutrition and Healthy Diet Promotion Act, which came into effect January 2024 and provides subsidies to local governments for the establishment of community nutrition promotion centers, the MOHW said. The ministry added that it also published a manual in 2019 that makes use of local ingredients and culinary techniques to modify food textures to ensure that older citizens receive appropriate and balanced nutritional support in line with their dietary habits.
According to the MOHW, Taiwan is committed to sharing its experience while promoting exchanges among APEC member economies to jointly address the challenges and opportunities of aging societies. (YCH-E)
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