NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

In the early 90s, food manufacturer Nutriset joined forces with a French nutritionist, André Briend to work on a more resilient alternative to the therapeutic milk products being used to treat malnourished children. They tested several ideas – including pancakes, doughnuts and biscuits – before the idea to develop a ready-to-eat peanut paste emerged.

They called it Plumpy‘Nut.

Plumpy‘Nut is a powerful peanut-based paste with skimmed milk powder, sugar, vegetable fat, vitamins and minerals. Kids love it. And it can be the difference between their life and death.

Part of the reason for the success of the product is it’s easy to ship, store and administer. It doesn’t need to be cooked, it doesn’t need water or refrigeration, it can be used at home, it travels well and can be kept in the right conditions for up to 24 months.

So in places hit hard by hunger and malnutrition, Plumpy‘Nut has been a game changer for humanitarian organisations like Save the Children and the way we treat severely malnourished children.