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Shu Wen Ng is a health economist. She knows what is best suited to go on a plate. But how can this be achieved on a mass scale in countries with lower incomes? "The solutions to gett there already exist," she says, "but what is often missing is courageous leadership to implement them."
As a health economist, she knows what is best suited to go on a plate. But how can this be achieved on a mass scale in countries with lower incomes? "The solutions to get there already exist," she smiles, "but what is often missing is courageous leadership to implement them." Shu Wen Ng, 45, does not have a political elite in mind, but people who bear a lot of responsibility for the production, sale and preparation of food at a local level: women. "They need more support, especially to overcome structural hurdles," she says of her organization "Next Gen(D)eration’s" commitment to strengthening resilience among those closest to the challenges. "Many ideas don't pass the practical test - and we prepare for this by not working top-down."
As a student, Shu Wen Ng initially focused on economics and international studies until she realized the fundamental importance of food for politics and society and switched to health economics. "I want to increase human capital," says the professor at the University of North Carolina, explaining her contribution to the transformation of food systems.
"Women have the courage and the knowledge to become agents of change. They lead and communicate differently."
Shu Wen Ng sees social, economic and political inequalities and the prioritization of groups over others as a challenge to the necessary transformation. "The role of multinational food companies also needs to be scrutinized more closely," she says. "Their profits do not reflect the true costs to health and the environment, which are paid elsewhere."
"Next Gen(D)eration" has built a network, with over 800 women from 75 countries joining since 2021. For Shu Wen Ng, strengthening self-confidence and personal empowerment are the key building blocks for anchoring healthy food in society at large. She herself grew up in Singapore at a time when the country was growing rapidly. "This also created inequalities," she recalls, "and there was an oversupply of certain unhealthy foods". At the time, she recognized the importance of policies that set sensible frameworks in the face of such changes. And Shun Wen Ng has been working on this herself ever since.
The interview was conducted at the 1st Transformation Learning Lab of the Global Project Transformation of Food Systems.
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