Opinion | AI-enhanced nutrition must enhance our agency, not undermine it

What makes this development feel so distinct is the sheer integration of services. While Western consumers often rely on fragmented apps to manage health data, Asia’s “super-apps” consolidate functions into single ecosystems.

For example, WeChat alone hosts over two dozen mini-programmes focused on nutrition tracking and personalised meal planning, with some achieving user satisfaction ratings close to 3.9 out of 5. Users can track meals, receive AI-generated dietary recommendations and consult dietitians without leaving their main messaging platform. Start-ups are taking notice.

The South Korean app Monolabs launched a nutrition service on WeChat, reportedly choosing China as its first overseas market in a clear recognition of the Chinese platform’s reach and infrastructure.

These ecosystems are not merely aggregating services; they are enabling the rise of personalised nutrition intelligence. When a user places an order through Grab or Gojek, AI can be leveraged to tailor suggestions for individual dietary preferences.