Plumpynut. also called Plumpy'nut or just plain Plumpy, could hold the key to famine relief projects across the world. Plumpynut is a life-saving high protein food based on peanuts first formulated by French nutrition scientists in 1999.
The main advantage of Plumpynut is that it needs very little preparation and can easily be deployed even in the difficult conditions that often obtain in remote areas of the world. Another advantage is that it is long lasting with a two-year shelf life when unopened and it keeps well even when opened.
It is manufactured by 'Nutriset', a French company based near Rouen, that specializes in creating food supplements for relief work. The ingredients that go into making Plumpynut are peanut paste, vegetable oil, milk powder, sugar, vitamins and minerals.
Plumpynut packed into pouches
They are packed into aluminium pouches and each pack provides 500 Calories. Plumpy'Nut also contains vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E and K, and several vital minerals including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, iodine, sodium, and selenium.
Distributed with other products such as Unimix, a vitamin-enriched flour for making porridge, packets of Plumpynut can, if given twice daily, reverse malnutrition in severely affected children in two to four weeks. It has won many plaudits from health and famine relief organizations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is confident that Plumpynut is an ideal food for famine relief as it can be packed locally in peanut-producing areas, such Niger, and mixed with groundnut oil. Médecins Sans Frontières has been giving out packets throughout Niger to children who are deemed very underweight. And Project Peanut Butter is carrying out trials Malawi where a local factory has been manufacturing it.
Plumpynut combats poverty
Many children in poverty stricken regions die because they can 't get the milk, vitamins and minerals they need. Starving mothers may not have enough milk themselves and they can't afford to buy it. Even if they could get the milk there is no way to store it without electricity or refrigeration. Powdered milk is ineffective when villages don't have clean water.
Plumpynut has been found to increase weight in as little as two days. The fortified food tastes a little like very sweet peanut butter and contains a balance of lipid, sugar, and protein, vitamins, minerals and calories. The peanut paste product not only tastes good it also contain mono-unsaturated fats, which are easy to digest.
The high calorie content means children get an energy boost from even small amounts and the zinc and protein aids the immune system to protect against disease. Protein also helps muscle growth and it is a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E.
Peanut Plumpynut cheap to make
But one of the great advantages of this peanut food is that is is cheap to produce. A 40 day treatment of two Plumpynut bars a day costs less than a dollar a day.
Nutriset, has been selling food products to combat malnutrition since 1986. Plumpynut is a patented supplement, and orders from major relief agencies like Unicef have poured in, helping Nutriset's sales top $25 million in 2006.
But Nutriset is not cashing on on its market share. It reinvests 80 percent of its profits into developing new products, and is helping firms in the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Niger to produce Plumpynut locally. This is a great example of when best solution to a big problem is a small one.
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the peanut product that is ideal for famine relief projects
Copyright © December, 2008 Russet Moose Brian Horn - Cheshire, UK
