Nutrition
Proper nutrition provides a foundation for healthy lives and allows children to thrive.
The challenge
Malnutrition takes the lives and futures of millions of children.
It stunts their growth and puts them at higher risk for diseases, diminishing their capacity to fully function.
One in three children is not growing well because of malnutrition. It is estimated that some 144 million under the age of 5 are affected by stunting: a form of malnutrition that can have irreversible physical and cognitive damage. Millions more are affected by wasting (low weight-for-height) and other forms of malnutrition.
Insufficient protein, energy and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in a child’s diet are among the factors that lead to such conditions. In humanitarian crises and in poor communities, inadequate health services and unsafe water and sanitation can aggravate these factors as infectious diseases exacerbate the deficiencies.
The scope of the challenge is wide. In addition to children, adolescents and women are at particular risk of malnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies in women have consequences for the children they bear. It takes the collective effort of communities to prevent and treat malnutrition, and we can do this together by improving access to nutrition support, including appropriate products and feeding practices.
The solution
UNICEF works to improve access to high-impact health and nutrition interventions for mothers and children, delivering nutrition supplies to support the growth and development of healthy children.
In 2021, UNICEF procured $175.6 million worth of nutrition products that are safe, effective and that provide best value for money. These included, among others:
- 44,554 metric tons of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to 59 countries, 67 per cent of which was sourced in programme countries
- 433.2 million vitamin A capsules, including 383.8 million capsules as CIK to 68 countries
- 119.3 million deworming tablets to 44 countries
- 665 million sachets of multiple micronutrients powder delivered to 38 countries
- 566 million iron and folic acid tablets delivered to 28 countries
We work to support the development of local markets for quality, cost-effective products, with the aim of meeting the needs for management of malnutrition efficiently and sustainably. Through years of work with industry, UNICEF drove the expansion of its supplier base for RUTF from a single manufacturer to over 20 manufacturers within ten years by 2017 – most of whom are located in countries close to children in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Now UNICEF procures and distributes an estimated 75-80 per cent of the world’s RUTF supply.
Today, local manufacturers in Africa, Asia and in South America are facilitating access to RUTF in countries experiencing nutrition crises, at reduced economic and environmental costs, while contributing to local jobs and markets.