A revolution in treating severe hunger
Thirty years ago, the fight against severe hunger looked very different. Treatment often required long hospital stays and resources that many communities simply didn’t have. For countless children, help came too late.
But in the mid-1990s, a simple yet transformative idea emerged: what if lifesaving nutrition could be delivered anywhere, without hospitals, clean water, or refrigeration? That idea would grow into something extraordinary. Read on to learn the story of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), meet the children it’s saved, and learn how you can be part of the next stage of the revolution.
The crisis: a child health tragedy
Child wasting – when a child becomes dangerously thin for their height – is the most lethal form of malnutrition. It strips children of their immune defences, leaving them exposed to disease and in the worst cases death. Today, 43 million children worldwide face wasting at any given moment.
Wasting doesn’t only strike in headline-grabbing famines. The majority of cases occur in everyday situations – in children born too small, in families without access to nutritious food, clean water, or basic health services.
For decades, the outlook for these children was bleak, and the tools to help them were almost entirely out of reach.
The breakthrough: how a small sachet changed everything
In 1996, RUTF was born. This energy-dense paste – made from peanuts, sugar, powdered milk, vegetable oil, and a blend of vitamins and minerals – was unlike anything that had come before. It required no preparation, no refrigeration, and no clean water to administer. A family in the most remote corner of the world could use it safely, at home.
For the first time, families could treat their children in their own communities – visiting a health centre just once a week instead of spending weeks in hospital.
The innovation was simple. But its impact was profound. Treatment radically changed. Children who had been beyond reach were suddenly within it.
30 years of progress: from innovation to historic achievement
Since 2000 the number of children dying from preventable causes before their fifth birthday has been cut in half – from nearly 10 million deaths a year to fewer than 5 million. RUTF has been a critical part of that progress, driving recovery rates above 90% and reaching children across the world.
Nearly one billion sachets are delivered globally each year. RUTF has become the backbone of the global response to child wasting. Nine out of ten children treated make a full recovery – often within weeks.
These are children alive today who would not be otherwise.
Hafsat’s story of recovery
9-month-old Hafsat sits safely alongside her mum Safiya in Nigeria. Her big brother, Ismail, stays close by – keeping a close watch on his little sister who was recently so ill.
Just two months earlier, Hafsat was fighting severe acute malnutrition. She was admitted to a Health Centre, where she began receiving the care her tiny body urgently needed.
Now in recovery, the change is visible and measurable. Hafsat’s mid-upper-arm circumference has grown from 11.3 cm to 13 cm – a good sign that her strength is returning and her recovery is well underway.
By providing RUTF through UNICEF, our regular donors are helping children like Hafsat across the world every day.
Can you help malnourished children?
The story of RUTF shows what’s possible when innovation meets compassion, but there is still so much more to do. Millions of children remain at risk. Join us in the revolution against deadly malnutrition.
The challenge ahead: progress under pressure
The gains against malnutrition are real – but they are fragile. In 2025, there were two famines: in Gaza and Sudan. Projections for 2026 show global hunger continuing or worsening in many countries, with an estimated 33 million children expected to be screened for wasting in complex global crises.
Funding pressures are threatening children’s continued access to treatment at the very moment demand is rising. Treatment, however life-saving, is not enough on its own. Prevention, through better nutrition in pregnancy, support for breastfeeding, stronger food and health systems, must increased with equal urgency.
RUTF buys us time, but prevention ends the cycle and builds a better future for every child.
Our work: 30 years of RUTF and UNICEF on the frontlines
UNCIEF has been a driving force behind RUTF’s global reach since the very beginning. As the world’s leading procurer of RUTF – purchasing up to 80% of global demand – we ensure the supply chain holds when children need it most.
We source from 23 suppliers worldwide, 18 of them based in the Global South, including in countries with the highest rates of child wasting. Local production means faster response, lower costs, and resilience.
But our role goes far beyond procurement. UNICEF leads the UN Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, shapes national policies in affected countries, trains frontline health workers, and continuously innovates – pioneering new formulations using chickpeas and soy that are more sustainable and locally available.
- Policy & Systems: Leading global strategy and supporting governments to embed RUTF treatment into national health systems.
- Supply & Innovation: Procuring and delivering nearly 1 billion sachets annually, while pioneering new recipes.
- Community Delivery: Training health workers and community volunteers to bring treatment directly to families at home.
- Early Detection: Championing screening so families and workers can identify wasting before it becomes a crisis.
Thirty years on, every child still deserves a fighting chance
RUTF is one of the great public health triumphs of our time. But the work is not done. Millions of children still face wasting without access to treatment. Funding is under threat. Crises are deepening.
This anniversary is a moment to celebrate – and a call to act. Together, we can ensure the next 30 years are defined not just by treatment, but by a world where no child needs it.
DONATE NOWScaling up support
RUTF is a key element for the UNICEF-led Child Nutrition Fund – the world’s largest mechanism to fight child malnutrition
It supports governments to accelerate high-impact actions that address stunting, wasting and anaemia among children and women.
Learn more about the Child Nutrition Fund here, and see how RUTF is supporting global efforts to reach over 320 million children and women every year.