Life-Saving 'Therapeutic Food' Marks 30 Years: 90% Recovery Rate for Children with Severe Wasting; Securing Supply Amidst Conflict and Funding Shortages is Crucial [Press Release]
UNICEF commemorates the 30th anniversary of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), reflecting on its achievements in saving children from severe wasting and emphasizing the critical importance of securing a stable supply amidst conflicts and funding shortages.
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Jazeera State, Sudan – A child eats Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). With UNICEF's support, community health workers conduct door-to-door visits to identify and connect malnourished children to treatment (Sudan, photographed March 16, 2026) © UNICEF/UNI962638/Elfatih
New York, May 5, 2026 – As Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), one of the life-saving treatments for children suffering from wasting, marks 30 years since its development in 1996, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) reflected on RUTF's achievements and called for further expansion of nutritional treatment.
* * *
Over the past 30 years, small sachets containing fortified peanut paste have become one of the most powerful tools for children under five to recover from severe wasting (severe acute malnutrition), the most deadly form of malnutrition. Currently, over 12 million children worldwide suffer from severe wasting. Amidst escalating conflicts, climate shocks, and funding constraints, ensuring a predictable and uninterrupted supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is more critical than ever.
Parwacha, a 10-month-old girl diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, receives RUTF treatment at a UNICEF-supported nutrition treatment center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (photographed August 23, 2025) © UNICEF/UNI854451/Ahmed
First developed in 1996, RUTF revolutionized child nutrition treatment. Children with uncomplicated severe wasting could receive treatment at home with RUTF, reducing reliance on hospitalization, easing family burdens, and lowering the risk of secondary infections.
Today, RUTF has significantly transformed how life-saving care and treatment are delivered as part of community-based approaches to treating child wasting. As a result, it has contributed to reducing preventable child deaths worldwide to their lowest levels. This 30-year milestone represents a major public health advancement, but it also serves as a call to action. We must build systems resilient to supply disruptions, reduce costs, and expand all nutritional treatments, including therapeutic milk, to ensure uninterrupted access to therapeutic foods for all children who need them.
Santos, a 2-year-old living in a remote area of Chiquimula Department, Guatemala, was diagnosed with acute malnutrition but is recovering after receiving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) (photographed December 8, 2025) © UNICEF/UNI917535/España
Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, stated: "These small but powerful sachets of therapeutic food have fundamentally transformed the treatment of severely malnourished children. I have witnessed children suffering from wasting, treated with RUTF, come back to life. This therapeutic food has enabled families to provide life-saving treatment themselves. In a world of abundance, no child should die from malnutrition."
**Overview of the Child Nutrition Situation and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)**
Children suffering from severe wasting are too thin for their height, have weakened immune systems, and are at risk of dying from common childhood illnesses. Their risk of death is 12 times higher compared to well-nourished children.
Currently, 42.8 million children are in a state of wasting, with 12.2 million suffering from the most deadly form, severe wasting.
The recovery rate for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition is nearly 90%, demonstrating RUTF's highly effective results.
In 2025, UNICEF screened 255 million children for wasting worldwide and provided treatment to over 9 million.
RUTF, made from peanuts, skimmed milk powder, oil, and sugar, and containing essential vitamins and minerals, is a therapeutic food given to children aged 6 to 59 months with severe wasting.
A 92-gram sachet of RUTF provides 500 kilocalories of energy, helping severely malnourished children gain weight and boost their immunity during treatment. Its creamy texture and subtly sweet, flavorful taste make it easy for children to eat.
There's a reason RUTF is a thick, oily peanut paste: it contains no water, which inhibits bacterial growth. This formulation allows for its effectiveness.
New York, May 5, 2026 – As Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), one of the life-saving treatments for children suffering from wasting, marks 30 years since its development in 1996, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) reflected on RUTF's achievements and called for further expansion of nutritional treatment.
* * *
Over the past 30 years, small sachets containing fortified peanut paste have become one of the most powerful tools for children under five to recover from severe wasting (severe acute malnutrition), the most deadly form of malnutrition. Currently, over 12 million children worldwide suffer from severe wasting. Amidst escalating conflicts, climate shocks, and funding constraints, ensuring a predictable and uninterrupted supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is more critical than ever.
Parwacha, a 10-month-old girl diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, receives RUTF treatment at a UNICEF-supported nutrition treatment center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (photographed August 23, 2025) © UNICEF/UNI854451/Ahmed
First developed in 1996, RUTF revolutionized child nutrition treatment. Children with uncomplicated severe wasting could receive treatment at home with RUTF, reducing reliance on hospitalization, easing family burdens, and lowering the risk of secondary infections.
Today, RUTF has significantly transformed how life-saving care and treatment are delivered as part of community-based approaches to treating child wasting. As a result, it has contributed to reducing preventable child deaths worldwide to their lowest levels. This 30-year milestone represents a major public health advancement, but it also serves as a call to action. We must build systems resilient to supply disruptions, reduce costs, and expand all nutritional treatments, including therapeutic milk, to ensure uninterrupted access to therapeutic foods for all children who need them.
Santos, a 2-year-old living in a remote area of Chiquimula Department, Guatemala, was diagnosed with acute malnutrition but is recovering after receiving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) (photographed December 8, 2025) © UNICEF/UNI917535/España
Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, stated: "These small but powerful sachets of therapeutic food have fundamentally transformed the treatment of severely malnourished children. I have witnessed children suffering from wasting, treated with RUTF, come back to life. This therapeutic food has enabled families to provide life-saving treatment themselves. In a world of abundance, no child should die from malnutrition."
**Overview of the Child Nutrition Situation and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)**
Children suffering from severe wasting are too thin for their height, have weakened immune systems, and are at risk of dying from common childhood illnesses. Their risk of death is 12 times higher compared to well-nourished children.
Currently, 42.8 million children are in a state of wasting, with 12.2 million suffering from the most deadly form, severe wasting.
The recovery rate for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition is nearly 90%, demonstrating RUTF's highly effective results.
In 2025, UNICEF screened 255 million children for wasting worldwide and provided treatment to over 9 million.
RUTF, made from peanuts, skimmed milk powder, oil, and sugar, and containing essential vitamins and minerals, is a therapeutic food given to children aged 6 to 59 months with severe wasting.
A 92-gram sachet of RUTF provides 500 kilocalories of energy, helping severely malnourished children gain weight and boost their immunity during treatment. Its creamy texture and subtly sweet, flavorful taste make it easy for children to eat.
There's a reason RUTF is a thick, oily peanut paste: it contains no water, which inhibits bacterial growth. This formulation allows for its effectiveness.