Burgeoning cities, growing economies and changing dietary preferences, have resulted in both undernourishment and overnutrition plaguing populations of Southeast Asia. Can ‘printed’ food address this double threat?

Southeast Asian countries are plagued by malnutrition resulting from both the quality and quantity of food being consumed. Limited access to food and overconsumption of the wrong types of foods has resulted in various health issues that affect populations.

A possible solution might be to turn to the third wave of technology to address these concerns. One possibility is 3D printing. We may even be able to print ‘acceptable’ foods. In a region prone to natural disasters, 3D printing may well be the way to tackle food and nutrition insecurity in disaster-hit areas.

…Tamara Nair is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.