• Nearly two million children suffering from severe wasting are at risk of death due to funding shortages for Ready-to-use Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) to treat the condition, which is the most dangerous form of malnutrition.

• The warning comes from UNICEF which said levels of severe wasting in children under five remain gravely high in several countries due to conflict, economic shocks and climate crises.

• RUTF is an energy dense, micronutrient paste made using peanuts, sugar, milk powder, oil, vitamins and minerals that has helped treat millions of children threatened by severe wasting.

• Severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition, is caused by a lack of nutritious and safe foods and repeated bouts of disease, such as diarrhoea, measles and malaria.

• Children become dangerously thin, and their weak immune systems make them vulnerable to growth failure, poor development, and death.

• Globally, one in 5 deaths among children under age 5 is attributed to severe wasting, making it one of the top threats to child survival.

• RUTF has helped bring millions of children back from the brink of death from severe malnutrition.

• Shortages of RUTF are already leaving children at risk of not receiving treatment in the 12-hardest hit countries.

• Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad are either already experiencing or imminently facing stockouts, while Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda could run out of stock by mid-2025.

• UNICEF is seeking $165 million to fund therapeutic feeding.

RUTF is a ‘wonder food’ saving lives

• RUTF is the abbreviation for “Ready-to-use Therapeutic-Food”, a life-saving essential supply item that treats severe wasting in children under five years old. 

• Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height and happens when someone has not had enough food or food of adequate quality. If not appropriately treated, wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death.

• RUTF paste was invented by pediatric nutritionist Andre Briend and food processing engineer Michel Lescanne 25 years ago, and became commercially available in the early 2000s. It is made from powdered milk, peanuts, butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and a mix of vitamins and minerals. 

• One RUTF sachet combines 500 calories and micronutrients.

Advantages of RUTF:

i) High nutritional value allowing malnourished children to gain weight quickly.

ii) Two-year shelf life, making it convenient to pre-position in a warehouse.

iii) Appealing taste and easy digestibility.

iv) No need for preparation – children eat it directly from the packet.  

• RUTF revolutionised the treatment of uncomplicated forms of severe wasting among children by allowing treatment to take place at home rather than in hospitals.

• For the last four years, UNICEF has been procuring an estimated 75 to 80 per cent of the world’s RUTF – equivalent to 49,000 metric tonnes (MT).

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