Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)
Energy-dense (520 kcal/100 g), micronutrient-fortified, lipid-based paste used in community-based management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children, requiring no preparation or refrigeration.
Also: RUTF
RUTF (e.g., Plumpy'Nut, peanut-milk-sugar-oil base) revolutionized treatment of childhood SAM by shifting care from inpatient to outpatient, allowing scale-up to address global SAM caseloads of ~14 million children. Recovery rates exceed 80% in CMAM (community-based management of acute malnutrition) programs. Cost and supply chain remain operational constraints; locally produced formulations are increasingly emphasized.
How one textbook covers it
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 70: Protein-Energy Malnutrition
RUTF (e.g., Plumpy'Nut, peanut-milk-sugar-oil base) revolutionized treatment of childhood SAM by shifting care from inpatient to outpatient, allowing scale-up to address global SAM caseloads of ~14 million children. Recovery rates exceed 80% in CMAM (community-based management of acute malnutrition) programs. Cost and supply chain remain operational constraints; locally produced formulations are increasingly emphasized.
Related terms
Kwashiorkor, Marasmus, SAM