Local crop-based therapeutic foods could improve malnutrition treatment reach in Africa

Researchers have developed a therapeutic food formulation using locally available ingredients—chickpeas, sorghum, corn, and soybeans—to treat severe childhood malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Current treatments reach only about 30% of affected children partly because conventional formulations rely on expensive imported ingredients like powdered milk. Producing therapeutic foods from regional crops could reduce costs and supply chain dependencies while expanding access to this proven treatment.

Severe childhood malnutrition remains a treatable condition, yet fewer than one-third of affected children in sub-Saharan Africa currently access proven interventions. This treatment gap stems largely from the reliance on imported, expensive ingredients like powdered milk and peanuts in standard formulations. Researchers tested an alternative combining locally cultivated chickpeas, sorghum, corn, and soybeans—ingredients already established in regional agriculture.

The plant-based formulation demonstrated superior nutritional metrics compared to conventional products, delivering higher protein density and quality scores. Crucially, updated international nutritional guidelines have recently eliminated mandatory dairy requirements, enabling regionally produced alternatives to meet established health standards. This regulatory shift removes a significant barrier to implementing locally sourced therapeutic foods.