RUTF: Ready to Use Therapeutic Food

RUTF is one of the measures to combat micronutrient malnutrition. RUTF is also referred as energy dense nutritious food (EDNF). It is a medical intervention to improve the nutrition intake of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). It is being implemented under the global initiative Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement and ICDS in India, through collaboration with the state governments

RUTF is a packaged paste of four basic ingredients: Sugar, Dried Skimmed Milk, Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Supplement (CMV) which contains 520-550 kilocalories of energy per 100 g. In addition, up to 25% of a product’s weight can come from oil-seeds, groundnuts or cereals like oats.The paste is given to children aged between six months and six years, usually after a doctor’s prescription. Each packet of the paste costs Rs 25 and has a shelf life of two years. A child can be given three packets daily for a month. [detailed article]