Session 6: Developments in Regulations and Consumer Insights in Southeast Asia

Ms Pauline Chan, ILSI SEA 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.

Prof Lay Ching Chai, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia

Prof Lay Ching Chai is Professor at the School of Medical and Life Sciences and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at Sunway University. Her research on food safety and microbiological risk assessment has led to appointments in key national and regional committees under the Ministry of Health and in ASEAN, where she serves as a notable food safety expert. She currently serves as interim committee member of the ASEAN Young Scientists Network to promote scientific excellence in the region. In addition to her past role as Chair of the Academy of Science Malaysia Young Scientists Network, Prof Chai was appointed as a member of National Science Council Malaysia. Her numerous awards and recognitions include the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award in 2018, Marie Claire’s Amazing Woman in Malaysia 2019, Prestige’s 40 under 40 Malaysia 2019, and the Asian Women Entrepreneurs Leadership Award 2019.

Ts. Nurul Hidayati BINTI MOHD NASIR, Food Safety and Quality Program (FSQP), Ministry of Health, Malaysia

Ts. Nurul Hidayati Mohd Nasir is a Nutritionist with the Food Safety and Quality Program at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, a position she has held since 2008. She is responsible for reviewing applications related to food labeling, nutrition labeling, and health claims, as well as for amending the Malaysian Food Regulations. She serves as the secretariat for the Expert Committee on Nutrition, Health Claims & Advertising, which is responsible for reviewing applications for nutrition claims. Additionally, she is the secretariat for the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), assisting in preparing draft responses from Malaysia and the country's position on issues related to special dietary foods. Ts. Nurul Hidayati is also a panel member of the Organic Food Certification Scheme at the Ministry of Health. She contributed as a key writer to the Malaysian Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines. Her areas of interest include food labeling and nutrition.

Dr Fengqin Li, Risk Assessment Division (Microbiology), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, China

Dr Fengqin Li is a Senior Researcher at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment. She serves several international food safety expert committees, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committees on Food Additives and Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance, and the Codex Alimentarius antimicrobial resistance working group, as well as several national food safety committees.

Dr Li’s research focuses on the detection and safety assessment of microorganisms in food production, and development of national food safety standards.  She played a key role in drafting the "Positive List of Microorganisms for General Foods" and "Microbial Strains for Infant Foods" for the National Health Commission of China. Recently, Dr Li led several projects on probiotics and has developed national food safety standards in relation to food microorganisms.

Prof Endang RAHAYU, University Center of Excellence for Research and Application on Integrated Probiotic Industry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia 

Prof Endang Rahayu is Chairman and Professor of the Center for Food and Nutrition Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia. She was previously Head of the Food Science Education Program in UGM. Her scientific research interests include indigenous probiotic, Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), and gut microbiota. She strives to uncover more functional benefits from LAB for applications in food and health. Prof Rahayu authored and was involved in several publications and research collaborations on probiotics, LAB, and the gut microbiota, including with the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia, and with the Asian Federation of Societies for Lactic Acid Bacteria (AFSLAB). In 2023, she was recognized by the National Agency for Drug and Food Control (BPOM), Indonesia, for her contribution in the development of regulations of food standards and supplements containing microorganisms and probiotics. Prof Rahayu attained her PhD in agro-chemistry from University of Tokyo, Japan.

Dr Mahenderan Appukutty, Nutrition Society of Malaysia

Dr Mahenderan Appukutty is President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM) and Associate Professor of Sports and Exercise Nutrition at the Faculty of Sports Science & Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. He served as Vice President and Assistant Honorary Secretary of NSM before taking office as President in 2024. Dr Appukutty is a member of the Expert Group supervising the NSM Probiotics Education Programme. He serving the Clinical Care Committee for the World Obesity Federation since 2012 and served as Vice President of the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine (MASM), a former Council Member of the Malaysian Society of Body Composition (MSBC), and a Scientific Advisor of ILSI SEA Region since 2021. Dr Appukutty chaired the Malaysian Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines (MoH) and contributed as a key writer for the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines. Dr Appukutty holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His research interests are on the functional food and exercise science.