The Design of Novel Ready-to-Use Foods for the Treatment and Prevention of Malnutrition

Project Summary 

The use of ready-to-use foods has been demonstrated as an effective means of treating malnutrition in children with primary malnutrition, and in AIDS patients in Africa. However, the costs of these foods is relatively high and the products used are usually based on formulations designed for the treatment of acute child malnutrition, irrespective of the target group.

We are working on approaches for the the design and formulation of lower cost therapeutic feeding products, designed for use with HIV positive adults suffering from acute malnutrition, as well as for other patient groups.

We have undertaken studies to test methods for determining acceptability, adherence, and approaches to the formulation of low-cost, novel products.