Nutrition knowledge among Malaysians needs to be translated into action and practice, says Professor Dr Norimah A. Karim, Vice President of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO). To tackle obesity, health education should start at a young age, in order to embed good dietary and physical activity habits in lifestyles.

To address the grave problem of obesity and related lifestyle diseases in Malaysia, government is working with the food industry, educational institutions and civil society, says Dr Chong Chee Kheong, Director of the Disease Control Division at the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Food industry executives need to constantly be looking ahead, and regularly assessing risks and opportunities; nowhere is such constant vigilance more important than it is in China, according to Mr Bill McCahill, Advisory Board Member of Veracity Worldwide.

Malaysia, among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 6, has the highest obesity and overweight prevalence – 13.3 per cent and 38.5 per cent of the population, respectively. To address this public healthcare burden, a paradigm shift in focus and strategies, with more attention to preventive healthcare; consumer education; and multi-stakeholder partnerships and knowledge exchanges are needed, says Dr Tee E-Siong, President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia.