NGOs question packaged food given to kids

Mumbai: Instead of providing hot cooked, nutritious meals to malnourished kids, the state women and child welfare department  has recently decided to purchase corporate-manufactured ‘ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF)’ packets for severely malnourished children across Maharashtra. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on August 4, permitting the use of RUTF for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) children in the Mokhada block of Palghar district.

Now, NGOs Jan Arogya Abhiyan (People’s health movement, Maharashtra) and Anna Adhikar Abhiyan (Right to food campaign, Maharashtra) have demanded that malnourished kids be provided healthy home-style cooked food as the RUTF paste (basically groundnut paste) given to children for three months is not adequate for them to overcome malnutrition.

The NGOs have warned against treating poor children across the state as guinea pigs, putting their health at risk. They have demanded that the government instead implement healthy, sustainable and less expensive options based on locally prepared and acceptable foods for malnourished children, especially those below three years of age, who are currently totally neglected.

Women and Child Development minister Pankaja Munde, rebutting the allegations of NGO on ‘Ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF)’ told The Asian Age,  “ The food packets are tested and approved by UNICEF and are being used all over the world. All the products are safe and sufficient for the malnourished kids, the NGO claims are improper.”

When asked about providing hot cooked meals and locally produced nutritious foods to affected malnutrition kids, Minister said, “We are providing the hot cooked meals where it is required, most of the malnourished belt are getting these meals which are healthy and balanced with nutrients.”

The RUTF paste packets have recently been provided to children in Dhadgaon, Nandurbar and Shahada blocks (Nandurbar district) on a pilot basis.