ILSI Symposium at ACN 2023: Rethink Protein Needs and Micronutrients Fortification in Asia – Nutrition, Health, Innovation and Regulation

CHAIR: Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong, Executive Director, ILSI Southeast Asia Region, Singapore
Mrs. Boon Yee Yeong is the Executive Director of ILSI SEA Region, based in Singapore. ILSI SEA Region was established as a regional branch of the world-wide scientific-foundation ILSI in 1993, covering ASEAN and Australasia. Mrs. Yeong oversees the Branch’s operation, scientific programs and partnership activities, working closely with stakeholders from private sectors, leading academic institutions, international organizations and key government and health agencies throughout the vast geographical region. ILSI SEA Region facilitates programs that address pertinent nutrition, food safety and sustainability topics as well as issues for the improvement scientific decision for public health benefits.
Mrs. Yeong obtained her BSc and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kings College (previously Queen Elizabeth College) University of London, and has over the past decades actively served to build scientific capacity and nutrition improvement for the target population in the region.

Assessing Protein Quality of Sustainable Food Sources to Improve Nutrition in Asia
Assoc. Prof. Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Associate Professor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand
Dr. Wantanee Kriengsinyos has 20 years of professional experience in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Her current research involves metabolic studies of food products in development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); body composition and energy expenditure; diet and behavior modification for patients with diet-related chronic diseases; and protein quality and amino-acid metabolism. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Kriengsinyos has also developed experience in nutrition policy and was a part of the team that successfully worked to ban partially-hydrogenated oils in Thailand. She currently leads a promotion project on implementation of healthier food logos to combat NCDs through reduction of sugar, fat, and sodium consumption in the Thai population. Currently, Dr. Kriengsinyos is chair of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. She received a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, and holds a Registered Dietitian credential from the United States.

Protein Nutrition and Sarcopenia in the Aging Population – A review and case example in Taiwan
Assoc. Prof. Feili Lo Yang, Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Science, College of Human Ecology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
Assoc. Prof. Feili Lo Yang is an Associate Professor at the Department of Nutritional Science, College of Human Ecology, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. She has been active in the university, serving different roles such as Chairperson of the Department of Nutritional Science (2013-2019), Member of Service Learning Advisory Board (2010-2018) and is currently a member of the Research and Development Committee at the Senior Care Resource Center, College of Medicine.
She specializes in lifespan nutrition and biochemical nutritional assessment, and currently serves as the project leader in charge of revising Taiwan's Dietary Reference Intakes and guidelines.
Dr. Feili Lo Yang holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Human Nutrition from The Ohio State University, USA and a Bachelor in Nutrition and Food Science from Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan.

Harnessing Plant Proteins for Cell-based Meat Culture and Seafood Analogues for Human Nutrition and Sustainable Development
Prof. Dejian Huang, Professor & Deputy Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Prof. Dejian Huang is a professor and deputy head at the Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore. His research interests cover chemistry of dietary antioxidants: their analytical methodology and action mechanisms as free radical scavengers; chemistry of bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables for controlling diabetes, aging, inflammation, and obesity; plant proteins for 3D printing of seafood mimics and scaffolds for cell-based meat culture and 3D cell culture for biomedical applications. He has published over 200 scholarly papers and was listed as a Highly Cited Researcher 2014 and 2015. He is an associate editor of Journal of Functional Foods and Frontiers in Nutrition Food Chem Section.

CHAIR: Assoc. Prof. Pattanee Winichagoon, Associate Professor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand
Assoc. Prof. Pattanee Winichagoon is an Associate Professor, and currently, Senior Advisor, at the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand. Her research in maternal and child micronutrient status and interventions, and community-based nutrition is well-regarded. This includes impacts of micronutrient fortification on nutritional status and cognitive functions; iron bioavailability from iron fortified foods using stable isotopes, iron metabolism in hemoglobinopathy. She has collaborated with several international renowned researchers and research institutions. Recently, she has been leading research on the application of stable isotopic methods for early life nutrition in Thailand and Asian countries, including human milk intake, body composition of mothers and children, and infant energy expenditure, aiming to contribute to data gaps from low- and middle-income countries. She has served on WHO guideline development groups on indicators for assessing anemia and iron status; FAO/WHO expert group on nutrient requirements of infants and young children. She has published numerous international peer-reviewed articles and monographs, and was recognized as the IUNS fellow at the 13th International Conference of Nutrition. Assoc. Prof. Winichagoon was the Vice-Chair of the Scientific Committee for the 19th International Congress of Nutrition held in Bangkok (2009). She obtained her M.Sc. in Nutrition from the University of Hawaii, PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University, USA.

Nutritional Status and Food Fortification Efforts in the Philippines
Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, Director IV and Scientist IV, Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), Philippines
Dr. Imelda Agdeppa is the Director of the Department of Science and Technology, Food and Nutrition Research Institute and conferred as Scientist IV by the National Academy of Science and Technology and the Civil service Commission. She is also a Board Member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Nutrition and Dietetics, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). She conducted numerous community trials that contributed significantly to the improvement in nutritional status of Filipinos.
She has been a short–term consultant in Indonesia and in the National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi, Vietnam, a project leader in the conduct of National Nutrition Surveys. Her most recent research is development of Healthy Eating Index for Filipinos.
She received numerous awards: PAGASA awarded by the President of the Philippines, the Alberto Romualdez Outstanding Health Research Award, Clara Ruth Darby by the Nutritionist – Dietitians Association of the Phil.

Voluntary Food Fortification for Improved Nutrition – Industry Perspectives 
Ms. Wei Tang, Regional Head, Diet & Health - Asia, Unilever, China
Ms. Wei Tang is Regional Head of Diet and Health (Asia) of Unilever. Ms. Tang supports Unilever’s external nutrition and health-related programs and collaboration across Asia. She has 16 years of working experience in Research & Development at various positions related to Nutrition & Science, Product Development and Scientific Affairs in France and China. She joined Unilever in 2017 as Regional Head of Nutrition External Engagement for North Asia and expanded her responsibility to Southeast Asia and Australasia (SEAA) region from 2018. Ms. Tang obtained her M.Sc. in Biology and Innovation in Quality and Productions of Vegetable respectively at University Paris XIII and University Paris XI.

Status of Food Fortification Regulations in Southeast Asia -  An Overview
Ms. Pauline Chan, Director, Scientific Programs, ILSI Southeast Asia Region, Singapore
Ms. Pauline Chan is the Director of Scientific Programs for ILSI Southeast Asia Region, a global scientific organization that seeks to improve public health through the advancement of science in the areas of nutrition and food safety. ILSI SEA Region is headquartered in Singapore and covers the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand. Pauline has extensive experience in developing scientific programs and facilitating dialogue between scientists, government regulators, and industry to address regional and international issues in nutrition, food safety, sustainability and health. A frequently invited resource speaker at conferences and seminars, Ms. Chan is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ms. Chan received her M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics from New York University, USA, and her B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.