RUTF, the miracle food against malnutrition blocked by the USAID debacle

"When it comes to hunger, Gaza is currently at the top of the pyramid: the UN has confirmed that half a million people are on the brink of death from starvation, something that has only happened three times in the last two decades and never for reasons strictly linked to political decisions. Beyond the horror provoked by witnessing the famine caused by the Israeli blockade of food supplies, 295 million people worldwide are threatened by hunger."

"These advances were directly linked to a product that changed the global landscape in the 1990s: Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). These simple yet miraculous sachets contain a combination of peanut paste, oil, milk, vitamins, and essential minerals to combat the most severe cases of childhood malnutrition. For just $45, a six- to eight-week treatment can be completed that can save a child's life."

"RUTF has undoubtedly changed the course of malnutrition treatments because it can be distributed like medicine, patients can take it home, and it doesn't require water, which was a serious problem with previous treatments, Luis Gonzalez, technical director of the NGO Action Against Hunger, told EL PAIS. However, the situation has changed radically in 2025. The disappearance of USAID has disrupted the entire RUTF distribution chain because USAID financed most of these products, Gonzalez explains."

Gaza faces famine with half a million people on the brink of death from starvation due to an Israeli blockade. Globally, 295 million people face hunger; 37 million children suffer acute malnutrition or wasting, and 10.2 million have severe acute malnutrition according to the Global Report on Food Crisis 2025. Wasting is the leading cause of death under five, often from diarrhea and infections. Child deaths from malnutrition fell from 6.6 million in 1990 to 2.4 million in 2021 largely because of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). RUTF sachets of peanut paste, oil, milk, vitamins and minerals enable home treatment for roughly $45 over six to eight weeks. The 2025 disappearance of USAID disrupted RUTF supply chains, worsening access.

Read at english.elpais.com