FAQs

faq

What is MANA?

MANA is our version of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), designed to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Once packaged and delivered, MANA is ready for consumption — our #1 priority is to get our RUTF off of the factory shelves and into the hands of starving children.

MANA is the first product of many that we hope to roll out to combat malnutrition here at MANA Nutrition.

But what exactly is RUTF?

RUTF is peanut butter “amplified,” – it is loosely defined as a fortified peanut butter paste rich in vitamins and energy contained in a package that looks like an oversized ketchup packet. RUTF has been revolutionary in treating severe acute malnutrition because it allows SAM to be treated in the community, does not require water, and does not spoil.

What is severe acute malnutrition (SAM)?

Technically, SAM is a condition that affects children from the ages of 6 to 59 months that have an extremely low weight for height measure, visible severe wasting and/or the presence of edema. But, for our purposes, it is more helpful to think of it as a child, who is so malnourished that he or she is literally on the brink of death. 20 million children are currently estimated to suffer from SAM, and most are in south Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. All of this may seem very discouraging, but the good news is that SAM is not only preventable but also treatable. And that is where MANA comes in.

How long does a child need to eat MANA?

Typically, a child needs to eat 10-15kg of RUTF over a period of six to eight weeks. That’s three packets of MANA per day. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98% of children treated with RUTF were well-nourished after six months and 96% were well-nourished after a year.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are crucial and can determine that child’s full growth prospects. That is why it is critical that we get MANA to starving children today.

Can you feed MANA RUTF to anyone who is hungry?

MANA RUTF is not a product designed to meet all hunger. MANA RUTF is a product designed to treat the most serious form of hunger—severe acute malnutrition, and RUTF has an impeccable track record for correcting this specific condition. Dr. Mark Manary says regarding use of RUTF: “Children with SAM rarely relapse, because they are fed to the MAM criteria. Our American Journal of Clinical Nutrition paper found that 98% well-nourished after 6 months and 96% after 1 year.”

At MANA Nutrition, we are also in the process of rolling out more products to combat other forms of malnutrition.

How is MANA Nutrition different from other suppliers of RUTF?

Unlike other producers of RUTF, MANA’s headquarters and main production facility are both in the United States, which has allowed us to refine our technology to maximize effectiveness before opening production facilities abroad. Our headquarters are in North Carolina, and our factory is in Georgia. We have plans to open a second, smaller factory in Rwanda. We also acknowledge the fact that, while RUTF is a proven lifesaver, it is not the solution to world hunger. That is why we do not limit ourselves to helping through our products. We spread awareness of malnutrition through campaigns and through digital forums like facebook and twitter .

Moreover, we don’t have shareholders who hold our feet to the fire, we have a board that pushes us to excellence, motivated by the incredible joy that comes in saving the kids we serve. We don’t think profit is bad. In fact, we know it is necessary because it allows us to invest in more equipment and personnel so that we can increase our production capacities and save more starving children. Not everyone needs to operate like us, but it works for us and, more importantly, we think it works for the children who need our products to survive. Since our mission and values can be successfully accomplished as a non-profit entity, we structured our company as such. Thus, we are the MANA Village, a community that just happens to be a company.

Is MANA Nutrition a non-profit?

MANA is structured as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. This allows for MANA to act as a forum for businesses, trade associations, and non-profits to join forces to save children from severe acute malnutrition. But it is a non-profit run on business principles. The revenue we generate in excess of expenses is re-invested in things like new equipment and additional personnel, which allow us to produce more MANA and to save the lives of more children.

How does MANA reach children in need?

After production, MANA Nutrition gives its product to its partners (organizations like UNICEF and USAID, with wide distribution networks and established reputations in our target countries) to make sure that MANA ends up in the right hands. MANA’s partners then coordinate with local organizations (governments or NGOs working on the ground) to get MANA into the hands of starving children.

Where does MANA Nutrition work?

Currently, MANA Nutrition is distributing its product in Rwanda and Guatemala, but our most recent shipments have been going to the Horn of Africa, where drought and famine are threatening the lives of two million children, 300,000 of whom are already suffering from SAM.

How can I help?

MANA Nutrition welcomes all donations, and, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible. Here, you can choose to make a one-time donation to the MANA through PayPal or by writing and mailing a check to our office in North Carolina. If you choose, you can also arrange to make a monthly donation.

At MANA Nutrition, we also recognize the power of ideas in our fight to save children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. We welcome yours and hope you will contact us.