Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)

THE PROBLEM

It is expensive and difficult to treat severely malnourished children in a clinic or hospital. Once a child is identified as severely malnourished (via a reading using a MUAC tape), treatment is begun.   For a subset of children suffering from malnourishment, but without other medical issues, treatment would ideally occur in a community setting or in the home so that the mother or caretaker could remain with the rest of the family and the child would not be separated.  A pre-packaged ready-to-eat 'dose' of high energy and vitamin/mineral enriched food would enable care of the malnourished child at home.

THE SOLUTION

This peanut paste is an energy-dense mineral/vitamin enriched food was specifically designed to treat Severe Acute Malnutrition (without medical complications) at the community level. RUTF is given over a period of six to eight weeks, and with this treatment, a child will need no other foods during treatment other than breastmilk.  This paste contains vital nutrients and does not require mixing with water or with other foods.  The treatment of a severely malnourished child should be determined and  should be overseen by medical staff and nutritionists but this approach allows treatment in the home once the dosage and total length of treatment is determined.  The method of managing SAM in the community is called CMAM, or Community-Managed Acute Malnutrition Treatment and has been proven to be highly effective.