Malnutrition is the underlying cause of one-third of 7.6 million deaths worldwide among children under age five. Millions more are affected physically and mentally from chronic malnutrition, according to UNICEF. In Malawi, home to 6.8 million children, malnutrition levels remain high and account for almost half of all child deaths. Extreme poverty is linked to extreme hunger with one in five Malawians living on less than USD $0.20 per day.
Project Peanut Butter, St. Louis, MO, a not-for-profit organization, aims to help save the lives of two million children by 2015 by preventing malnutrition. Dr. Mark Manary, founder of Project Peanut Butter and a pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, developed a prototype for Ready-to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) in 1999 and field tested the original version in 2001.
The RUTFs are a peanut-based, vitamin-enriched nutritional packet that result in 95% of children medically diagnosed as severely malnourished, to recover, compared to a recovery rate of 25% to 40% using traditional hospital therapies.
Arla Foods Ingredients, Denmark, has pledged its support to a new research program through Project Peanut Butter, designed to tackle malnutrition among children in the developing world. The study will take place in Malawi and investigate the potential benefits of using whey permeate and whey protein in RUTFs for the treatment of children with moderately acute malnutrition.
Arla Foods Ingredients is cofounder of this initiative with the Danish Dairy Research Foundation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council and will donate the whey permeate and protein required for the study.
According to Mardi Manary, Dr. Manary's wife and partner in Project Peanut Butter: "This is the third time Arla has stepped up to help us. As we raise all of our funds through donations, whether it is $2.00 or $200.00, funding a research project such as this could take years, but this donation from Arla will enable us instead to get started late January 2013."
Multiple corporations have partnered with Project Peanut Butter over the years to improve the effectiveness of the RUTFs and to help fund further studies or build aid in delivery systems. Hershey Foods, Hershey, PA recently funded a peanut processing factory in Ghana.
Charlotte Sørensen, Senior Project Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Food aid is often focused only on preventing starvation, but this approach can still leave children at risk from malnutrition and poor health. The aim of the Malawi study is to investigate whether whey permeate, when used in conjunction with whey protein, can help children recover from the effects of malnutrition and grow up healthy."
Whey permeate, a by-product of cheesemaking, is very high in lactose, which research suggests is good for immature digestive systems, promoting the absorption of minerals and stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, leading to a stronger digestive and immune system.
Charlotte Sørensen continued: “Pure lactose is considered an expensive component in food aid products, but permeate is both a cheaper alternative and a source of important milk minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and chloride – all important contributors to healthy growth and development.
Used in conjunction with whey protein, which is rich in the full range of amino acids required for healthy growth and development, we hope that whey permeate can offer a beneficial solution in the fight to eliminate malnutrition."
