Edesia, a Rhode Island-based non-profit organization dedicated to the production of Ready-to-Use Foods (RUFs) used to fight global malnutrition, was awarded $2 million to produce 15 million daily doses of the dairy-fortified lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) "Nutributter®".

The grant was announced on February 25th by U.S. Agency for International Development's International Food Relief Partnership (IFRP) program. IFRP funds US-based non-profits to produce, warehouse, transport, and distribute shelf-stable prepackaged foods for humanitarian aid purposes.  IFRP will make subsequent grants to organizations that will move the products from warehouses to the final beneficiaries in developing countries.

With this multi-year grant, Edesia will be able to produce 300 metric tons of Nutributter® in the first year, enough to reach 100,000 children between six months and two years of age with a nutritional formula designed to prevent malnutrition.  Nutributter® is peanut-based but also includes skim milk powder and whey protein.  These proteins make up approximately 15% of the total product weight and are sourced in the United States.    

More information is available on the International Food Relief Partnership program on USAID's website and on the Edesia website.