Lessons in Longevity: China and Japan Explore Paths to Better, Longer Lives

Sharon Bligh, the CGF’s Director of Health & Sustainability, shared global priorities and highlighted the Coalition’s commitment to making healthier lifestyles more accessible, affordable, and appealing worldwide. Mr. Kiyoshi Matsuno Deputy General Manager of the Sustainable Development Department at Ajinomoto Japan and Mr.Seinosuke Sho, head of the CGF Japan HL Coalition were present to contribute to this crucial exchange, sharing insights from Japan’s long-standing focus on longevity.

Challenge and Opportunity in China

With over half of Chinese adults now overweight or obese—a figure expected to reach 65% by 2030—members at this meeting stressed the urgency of multi-stakeholder collaboration to enable healthier choices at scale. 

Kelly Gao, Nestlé Greater China’s Director of Nutrition and Health and co-chair of the Steering Committee introduced the latest developments since the start of the year by the HL China Working Group. These included support for the Healthy China 2030 initiative, rollout of health guidance shelves, expansion of life course wellness programmes, and launching employee wellbeing initiatives.

Lessons in Longevity from Japan

China-Japan HL Co Chair Dialogue was held on the following day which sparked a rich discussion around longevity, a concept where Japan has long been a global leader. This links to a key initiative of the Healthier Lives Coalition on Life Course Wellness –  bringing together retailers and manufacturers to drive impactful physical and digital activations that empower consumers to make healthier choices, thus delivering better, more tailored health solutions that meet consumers’ needs throughout their life course. 

On longevity, the HL Japan Working Group focuses on: 

• Preventing frailty and especially supporting appropriate protein intake by disseminating information on the importance of protein intake as a frailty prevention measure, targeting elderly people. 
• Developing and using recipes to reach consumers to nudge healthier choices. 
• Collaborating with the government and other organisations. In 2024, the Working Group participated in the Danone Nutrition Forum.

A recent 2025 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) brought this into focus, suggesting that a 70-year-old today has the cognitive and physical health comparable to a person in their 50s just two decades ago thus showing that 70 is becoming the new 50. The retail and consumer goods industry has an opportunity to provide tailored solutions that support this trend. The insights shared from Japan’s experience offer a valuable roadmap for CGF members in China and around the world.

Looking Ahead

Participants committed to continuing to share best practices in retail activation, product innovation, and digital health tools. This meeting was a blueprint for how CGF members can work together, turning shared challenges into collective solutions that can improve public health and create business value by promoting healthier lifestyles. 

To discover the business case for promoting healthier lifestyles please visit www.tcgfhealthierlives.com