UNICEF Marks 30 Years of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food in Zambia, Highlighting Lifesaving Impact for Children Facing Severe Wasting
Following unprecedented demand during Zambia’s drought response, UNICEF calls for the urgent need to strengthen child nutrition systems and early treatment services
LUSAKA, 12 May 2026 – UNICEF Zambia is commemorating 30 years of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a lifesaving innovation that has transformed the treatment of severe wasting among children and continues to save thousands of young lives across Zambia and around the world.
First developed in 1996, RUTF revolutionized the treatment of severe wasting by enabling children without medical complications to be treated safely at home and within their communities, reducing the need for prolonged hospitalization and lowering the risk of secondary infections. Today, RUTF remains the only World Health Organization-recommended outpatient treatment for severe wasting in children.
In Zambia, where child malnutrition remains a significant public health concern, RUTF continues to play a critical role in ensuring children survive, recover, and thrive.
“In Zambia, we continue to witness the lifesaving impact of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food on children and families affected by severe wasting,” said UNICEF Zambia Representative, Dr. Saja Farooq Abdullah. “This small sachet has transformed the way treatment is delivered, placing care directly into the hands of families and communities. As climate shocks, food insecurity, and economic pressures continue to affect vulnerable households, sustained investment in nutrition services remains critical to ensuring every child has a chance to survive and grow.”
Wasting is the deadliest form of malnutrition. Children suffering from severe wasting are dangerously thin for their height, their immune systems are weakened, and they are significantly more vulnerable to common childhood illnesses. Without timely treatment, severe wasting can become fatal.
RUTF is a nutrient-dense peanut paste fortified with milk powder, oil, sugar, vitamins, and minerals. A single 92g sachet provides approximately 500 calories and essential nutrients needed for rapid recovery. Because it contains no water, it remains safe without refrigeration and can be used effectively even in remote and challenging environments.
While the 30-year milestone marks major progress in child survival and nutrition, it also serves as a call to action to strengthen nutrition services, expand early screening and treatment, and ensure no child dies from a preventable form of malnutrition.
Key Zambia Statistics on RUTF and Wasting
- In 2025, UNICEF supported the screening of over 2.5 million children for wasting in Zambia and helped treat 106,309 children affected by wasting, including Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).
- More than 300,000 children are estimated to be affected by wasting in Zambia in 2026, including over 60,000 children with severe wasting.
- Between 2023 and 2025, UNICEF delivered to Zambia nearly 12.6 million sachets of RUTF, worth USD3.9 million, in response to the drought emergency in Zambia which helped treat about 73,000 children affected by SAM. This represents the highest quantity procured within a three-year period.
- UNICEF remains the world’s largest procurer of RUTF and continues to work with governments, partners, manufacturers, health workers, and communities to strengthen nutrition systems and ensure uninterrupted access to lifesaving treatment for children most at risk.
Notes to Editors
Download multimedia content here.
Read the 2007 joint statement by WHO, WFP, SCN and UNICEF on Community-Based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition.
Read the UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020–2030: Nutrition, for Every Child.
Watch now: Rollout of RUTF in Zambia
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GjYwW-Sqpb0ONC4SvWpicJThO31ytHpq?usp=sharing
About UNICEF
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work in Zambia, visit: www.unicef.org/zambia
For media enquiries, please contact:
Maria Fernandez
Chief of Communication
UNICEF Zambia
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About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Zambia, visit www.unicef.org/zambia.
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