The RUTF resembles peanut butter and consist of a peanut paste, sugar, vegetable oil, milk powder, vitamins and minerals | Credit | Ryeng/UNICEF

The UN agency for children has asked parents of malnourished children to use the therapeutic food accordingly.

The ready-to-use therapeutic food is UNICEF’s number one medicine for treatment of malnutrition in children.

It resembles peanut butter locally called ‘keimot’ and consists of a peanut paste, sugar, vegetable oil, milk powder, vitamins and minerals.

Each sachet contains 500 calories.

However, some mothers use it to prepare meals for adults, while others sell it.

“Some of it is finding its way to the market and people are buying it without the knowledge that that peanut is not supposed to be for cooking,” said Jessica Murye, UNICEF nutrition officer.

Murye warned of the dangers of consuming the therapeutic food for children.

“If your body is okay and your child is not malnourished but eat that kind of peanut butter, you will begin to grow big and bigger…and become obese,” she added.

In 2021, UNICEF estimates that 313,000 children under five years of age will be affected by severe acute malnutrition in South Sudan.

Its nutrition program reportedly provides therapeutic foods and lifesaving medicines to treat common childhood illnesses and other medical supplies to 1145 centers nationwide.