Treating severe malnutrition
A revolution in child survival.
When prevention fails, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) can save children at risk of dying from starvation.
A medical food packed with life-saving nutrients
RUTF rapidly cures kids dying from starvation, giving them a second chance.
RUTF is a peanut-based medical food packed with nutrients that helps children regain weight and health. A child with severe malnutrition can’t eat regular food – but RUTF can bring them back from the brink of death in a matter of weeks.
A Revolutionary Approach
Children can be treated with RUTF by community health workers – and caregivers at home.
RUTF revolutionized how kids are treated for malnutrition by making it possible for them to get treatment at home instead of at hospitals. It has a 2-year shelf life, does not require refrigeration, and can be eaten straight from the package.
A cost-effective solution
The cost to save a child dying from starvation is shockingly small.
RUTF costs less than $1 dollar per day. A typical RUTF treatment regimen consists of three packets of RUTF every day for about six weeks – or less than $45 per child.
We need to scale this solution.
Millions of kids who need RUTF don’t have access to it – but if they did, we could save their lives.
$950 million
The annual additional cost to live in a world where children don’t die of starvation.
$1.2 million
The number of children saved in 2023 after a historic push expanded RUTF coverage by 73%.
Global momentum for RUTF
Medina received treatment with RUTF and recovered from severe acute malnutrition.
Between 2022-2024, USAID invested over half a billion dollars for wasting treatment – a historic contribution.
The WHO changed its guidelines for malnutrition treatment for the first time in over a decade with evidence we helped generate.
Join Us.
We’re looking for others who are obsessed with evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scaling solutions to end child deaths.