MANA = Peanut Butter on Steroids
By Morgan Fogarty for FOX Charlotte
The before and after pictures are incredible. Babies who are skin and bones, severely malnourished, are chubby and smiling after a mere four weeks of MANA. “You could call it, like, peanut butter on steroids,” says CEO Mark Moore. He launched MANA (Mother Administered Nutritive Aid) four years ago. He moved the headquarters to Matthews two years ago.
MANA is peanut butter, powdered milk, micronutrients and sugar. It’s ready to eat; no clean water needed, no heating necessary. “It’s real easy, it’s simple. It’s cheap. Kids love peanut butter,” says Moore.
In developing countries, particularly in Africa, many people live on millet. Millet is used for bird seed in America. Babies and children need much more. MANA makes an instant impact. Moore says, “(Kids) almost double their weight in a five, six week period. So it’s phenomenal how much weight they gain.”
MANA is made in a production facility in Georgia. Major organizations like UNICEF, the US Government, World Vision and others buy it and distribute it across the globe. Last year, the little packets helped save the lives of about 170,000 kids.
Moore says MANA won’t solve every problem these children face, but it gives them a fighting chance. He says, “Those severely malnourished kids, they need exactly this.”
20 million children suffer from severe malnourishment. One box of MANA can change their lives. If you’d like to buy a box for a child, go to https://mananutrition.org/donate.
Watch the FOX Charlotte story on MANA, here.