Today, societies around the world are confronted with two seemingly contradictory problems. On the one hand, we are witnessing a proliferation of lifestyle related diseases such as excess weight and obesity, which stem from overeating and unbalanced diets. In contrast, there are increasing concerns about stunted growth, undernutrition, and frailty*, which stem from a deficit of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.
If we wish to resolve these issues, it is vital that we make it easier for people to maintain nutritionally balanced diets. For food companies like ourselves, this entails both increasing the nutritional value of our products, and providing consumers with clear information about these nutritional values. For that reason, at Meiji we have developed the Meiji Nutritional Profiling System (Meiji NPS).
* "Frailty" refers to the decline in physical and cognitive health associated with aging, such as muscle weakness and cognitive function decline. Frailty is generally seen in the older population, and as the level of frailty progresses, it may require long-term care. However, with adequate intervention, frailty can be reversed.
