The provincial government of Kasai Oriental in the DRC has launched an awareness campaign for schoolchildren against the abusive consumption of Plumpy’nut and therapeutic milk in schools. The objective of this campaign is to improve the nutrition of children and to fight against severe acute malnutrition in this province of Congo. Indeed, therapeutic foods are important sources of proteins, minerals and vitamins, necessary to recover from malnutrition.
During the launch of the campaign, the governor of the province, Mathias kabeya Matshi, welcomed UNICEF’s commitment to the fight against the misuse of these pharmaceutical products by healthy people. He also promised severe sanctions against the recalcitrant.
RUTFs (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods) are made from peanut paste, oil, sugar and powdered milk, and contain added vitamins and minerals, and are intended exclusively for malnourished children. The province of Kasai Oriental has therefore decided to raise awareness among students because these products should not be consumed by people in good health.
The awareness campaign will be implemented over a period of three months, from June to August 2023, and severe sanctions will be taken against offenders.
It should be noted that this initiative is commendable, as severe acute malnutrition is a major public health problem in the DRC. However, it will also be necessary to put in place measures to strengthen access to drinking water, to a diversified and nutritious food, and to fight against poverty, which are factors contributing to malnutrition.