Global Shortage of Therapeutic Foods Leaves Malnourished Children at Risk

Clinics in Somalia are turning away severely malnourished children and rationing supplies of life-saving therapeutic foods as funding shortages deepen, humanitarian agencies warned this week. The crisis has been exacerbated by the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East, which has diverted global attention and resources away from the Horn of Africa.

Critical Shortages of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food

Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a nutrient-dense peanut paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition in children, is running dangerously low in Somalia and other high-risk countries. According to a Save the Children analysis published on April 23, 2025, at least 110,000 severely malnourished children supported by the organization in 10 countries—including Somalia—could lose access to RUTF by the end of 2025 due to funding gaps. The analysis warned that stockpiles in some nations could be exhausted as early as May 2025.

RUTF has a 90% success rate in treating severe acute malnutrition when combined with medical care. Each sachet contains a high-calorie blend of peanuts, sugar, milk powder, oil, and essential vitamins and minerals, requiring no refrigeration or preparation. Typically, three sachets per day can restore a child’s health within weeks. However, disruptions in global supply chains, rising malnutrition rates, and insufficient funding have left millions of children without access to this critical treatment.

Somalia’s Crisis Deepens Amid Regional Instability

Somalia, already grappling with prolonged droughts, floods, and erratic rainfall, is now facing additional strain from the fallout of the Iran-Israel conflict. Humanitarian workers report that the war has shifted international focus and funding away from the Horn of Africa, leaving aid organizations struggling to secure resources for malnutrition programs. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had previously warned in October 2024 that nearly two million children across 12 high-risk countries—including Somalia—were at risk of death due to funding shortages for RUTF.

In a press release dated October 15, 2024, UNICEF Director of Child Nutrition and Development Victor Aguayo stated, In the past two years an unprecedented global response has allowed the scale-up of nutrition programmes to contain child wasting and its associated mortality in countries severely affected by conflict, climate and economic shocks, and the resulting maternal and child nutrition crisis. But urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer.

Countries identified in UNICEF’s appeal as facing imminent or ongoing stockouts of RUTF include Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Somalia, while not explicitly named in the October 2024 release, has been highlighted in subsequent reports as one of the nations most affected by the funding shortfall.

Global Hunger Crisis Worsens as Aid Declines

The current shortage of RUTF is part of a broader global hunger crisis. Save the Children noted that existing supplies meet less than 40% of global demand, leaving millions of children without access to life-saving treatment. In 2024, large-scale breaks in RUTF supply chains occurred due to a combination of rising malnutrition rates, logistical disruptions, and insufficient funding. The situation is expected to deteriorate further in 2025, with aid organizations warning that cuts to U.S. And other international funding streams are exacerbating the crisis.

In Somalia, where famine conditions have been declared in multiple regions, families have resorted to extreme measures to survive. Reports from Save the Children and other agencies describe communities eating grass and leaves to stave off starvation. The withdrawal of U.S. Aid, in particular, has left thousands of children without access to essential nutrition programs, according to humanitarian workers on the ground.

Call for Urgent Funding and Policy Action

Humanitarian agencies are urging governments and donors to prioritize funding for RUTF and other malnutrition interventions. UNICEF’s October 2024 appeal sought $165 million to address the immediate needs of children in the 12 hardest-hit countries. Save the Children has similarly called for increased investment in community-based nutrition programs, emphasizing that a $45 course of RUTF can save a child’s life.

Without immediate action, aid organizations warn that the number of children at risk of death from severe acute malnutrition will continue to rise. The convergence of climate disasters, economic instability, and geopolitical conflicts has created a perfect storm, leaving the world’s most vulnerable populations without the resources they need to survive.

For families in Somalia and other affected countries, the stakes could not be higher. As one humanitarian worker in Mogadishu told aid agencies, We are seeing children who are already too weak to cry. Without urgent intervention, we will lose an entire generation.