Companies hoping to tap the personalised nutrition pie need to think both about the products they are offering as well as their business model. 

We are what we eat—the dietary choices we make are reflected in the state of our health. For example, eating too much sugary and oily food is a common gateway to type II diabetes, a chronic condition that affects over 420 million adults worldwide.

Cooking up fresh ideas
Food enterprises in Singapore can tap into the expertise and resources of the Food Innovation and Resource Centre to develop innovative solutions to their problems.

It might not be the most obvious place to look for innovation, but the aisles of supermarkets are packed with successful food technologies. Extensive research has gone into making food products taste better, last longer and look more attractive, all in the name of capturing market share.

The clear benefits of open innovation 

 Collaborating with research institutions has helped precision optics company Wangi Industrial to deepen their competitive advance, says Vice President Chew Ker Yee. 

Fresh, filling and functional foods
 Three TechOffers to shake up the food value chain 

From designer shoes to bespoke suits, society places a premium on high quality, made-to-measure merchandise. In recent years, similar demands have been made of the food industry.

Rising levels of obesity and physical inactivity have contributed to a growing prevalence of diabetes over the last decades. To better manage blood sugar levels and nutritional needs, health conscious individuals may use a food’s glycemic index (GI) as a guide when choosing what to eat.

Low GI food products refer to carbohydrate containing food that will produce a steady rise in blood glucose instead of sudden spikes in blood sugar from eating high GI food. Persistent blood sugar spikes can lead to health complications such as diabetes and heart disease.

Savouring open innovation
 Inspiration and collaboration are crucial ingredients for creating wholesome meals for individuals with special dietary needs.

Bringing customised IoT solutions to the industry masses
 For many companies, designing an Internet of Things (IoT) solution from scratch can be a time-consuming process, but an off-the-shelf solution is often too pricey. Lynxemi’s plug-and-play modular platform strikes a balance between the two. Its Chief Executive Officer, Paymon Rasekhy, discusses the importance of open innovation.

Driven by its appetite for innovation, home-grown company Lim Kee Food Manufacturing has teamed up with a foodtech firm to improve its popular steamed buns. 

As one of Singapore’s leading Chinese pau (steamed bun) makers, Lim Kee Food Manufacturing has always embodied a zest for transformation.

When demand for their steamed buns started to rise in the 1990s, the company wasted no time in expanding from one to three production units.

Open innovation is not just skin deep
 By partnering with Singapore's National Skin Centre, Good Pharma Dermatology was able to quickly bring an itch-reducing moisturiser to the market. 

Not everyone is blessed with flawless skin. For those suffering from dermatological conditions, itch is a common symptom which take a toll on quality of life and even result in a loss of confidence in social settings.

Never too late to innovate
 Check out some of the hottest innovations on IPI's Online Marketplace in 2018