Diversify the pool of investors to address malnutrition

China's dual burden of malnutrition, which encompasses under nutrition and over nutrition (overweight and obesity), places immense stress on its public health systems and endangers the development of the population. China has made impressive progress in reducing its population of undernourished people by half, but 158 million people in China remain undernourished. After the United States, China has the highest number of obese people in the world. According to a 2014 global study published by medical journal The Lancet, more than 28 percent of men and 27 percent of women over age 20 in the country are overweight or obese.

Many low-income communities continue to suffer the devastating impacts of nutrient deficiencies which lead to high infant mortality, stunting, delayed development and impaired cognition. Concurrently, rising urbanization and income in developing cities have caused an increased consumption of processed foods and "fast food", accompanied by a higher predisposition to lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

Wider reverberating effects may be felt by national and provincial economies in terms of lost productivity, higher business costs, and ultimately, a hit on economic momentum. Regional figures show the economic burden of malnutrition to be substantial - an 11 percent loss of gross national product across Asia between 2000 and 2009, due to under nutrition alone.