Ready–to-Use Foods (RUFs) are energy-dense, mineral and vitamin-enriched foods that deliver precise quantities of macro and micronutrients and are therefore ideally suited to the treatment of the various types of under-nutrition. These foods come in the form of oil-based pastes with the texture of peanut butter. They have a very low moisture content and because of this they do not spoil and can be stored in simple packaging in tropical climates for at least six months. As they can be eaten straight from the pack and do not require cooking or dilution with water, the labour and fuel demands on poor households are minimised.

Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is used for therapeutic feeding of malnourished children in Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) programmes. RUTF is an energy-dense food that is nutritionally equivalent to the F100 therapeutic milks used in hospital wards and feeding centres. However, unlike milks, it is safe to store and use in the home. Because it is highly palatable, most children can eat it without assistance, straight from the packet, allowing them to control their own intake and decreasing the potential for the food to be shared throughout the family.

RUFs can also be designed for other purposes such as the treatment of adults living with HIV/AIDS or children suffering from chronic malnutrition. They can be made from a variety of cereals and legumes including peanuts, chickpeas, sesame seeds, maize and soybeans and can therefore be designed to take advantage of ingredients that are the most cost-effective in a given area. The technique for making RUFs is very simple and requires basic production processes and technology that is generally available in developing countries.

RUFs produced from local crops and manufactured in countries affected by malnutrition greatly increase the cost effectiveness of nutritional support programmes. Producing the products where they are needed, avoids the unnecessary costs of importing products from far afield, whilst stimulating the local economies by adding value to locally produced crops, increasing demand for crops, encouraging agricultural diversity, supporting local manufacturers and businesses and creating employment. Producing the products from locally available crops provides cheaper and more culturally appropriate and acceptable nutritional products.

Expanding poor people’s access to these foods through a combination of local manufacture and delivery through community-based care mechanisms is a highly effective development activity. We are committed to furthering this expansion and to that end, the directors of Valid International have started Valid Nutrition, a charity committed to increasing access to these vital foods, by developing production in the areas affected by malnutrition and carrying out research and development into different RUF formulations.

For further information, please visit

Valid Nutrition

Clever Ad (Save the Children)

CBS Segment on Plumpynut

The Nation (Malawi) Article on Chiponde