Ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), categorized as food for special medical purposes, is a nutrient-dense, energy-dense paste specifically formulated to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children aged 6-59 months, a vulnerable population. It is a lifesaving, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat, easy to use product which does not require preparation or cooking, does not require refrigeration, even after opening, and no water, reducing the risk of already malnourished children consuming contaminated water and further worsening their poor health status. RUTF has been revolutionary in the dietary management of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition, enabling home-based treatment.
RUTF must be safe, effective and nutritionally appropriate to continue to provide a lifeline for severely and acutely malnourished children. This is the driving force behind NAFDAC’s contribution to ensuring access to RUTF through enhanced regulatory support for expanding and enabling local capacity for their production. Significant successes have been recorded for local production of RUTF with 4 companies registered by NAFDAC for local production. This has shifted the national RUTF situation from import dependence to increased local production; a progressive move towards self-sufficiency.
Typically made from powdered milk, peanut paste, vegetable oils, sugar, and a mix of vitamins and minerals, innovation in RUTF composition is exploring the use of alternative ingredients like chickpeas and soy to create sustainability and strengthen local production capacity.
