Africa Factbook

Peanut Therapeutic Food Paste Treating Malnutrition Children in sub-Saharan Africa are more than 15 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than children in high income countries. Lack of access to highly nutritious foods, and rising food prices is a common cause of malnutrition. Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods or RUTF was first introduced in situations of humanitarian emergencies during the early 2000s. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of death in an estimated 34 percent of all children worldwide. RUTF is high energy; lipid-based nutrient supplement paste used for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition. RUTF provides energy, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals to treat severe acute malnutrition in children six months to under 5 years of age.  RUTF has around 550 kilo-calories per 100 grams of the product. RUTF is basically peanut butter mixed with dried skim milk, vitamins and minerals and can be stored for three to four months without refrigeration, e