Everything You Need to Know about Edesia Nutrition

This non-profit organization provides lifesaving “miracle packets” to feed babies, children, and mothers in developing countries. In this article, we look at the beginnings of Edesia Nutrition and learn how the organization grew to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialized, ready-to-use foods.

Navyn Salem founded Edesia Nutrition in 2009.

After visiting Tanzania, the birthplace of her father, Navyn Salem grew determined to do something about malnutrition, a global health crisis that receives comparatively little attention, yet is 100 percent preventable. Malnutrition causes the deaths of an estimated 3 million children in developing nations every year.

Navyn Salem learned about Plumpy’Nut, a peanut paste that is fortified with vitamins, minerals, and key nutrients to treat even severe malnutrition. Navyn Salem founded the non-profit organization in 2009 with the aim of deploying Plumpy’Nut throughout developing countries.

Today, the organization produces 1.2 million sachets of ready-to-use food every day. Humanitarian aid workers distribute Plumpy’Nut throughout some of the world’s most geographically isolated and medically underserved communities.

Navyn Salem named the organization after the Roman goddess Edesia. Edesia is the goddess of food. In Roman mythology, she presides over banquets and feasts. Her name is derived from the Latin verb “edes," meaning “to eat."

Edesia has fed more than 11 million people worldwide.

In the past, treating children with severe malnutrition was extremely challenging. It involved long hospital stays while being fed milk-based products that were costly and impractical.

Plumpy’Nut has revolutionized the way caregivers treat malnutrition in developing countries today, helping free up hospital beds and reach more children. Since Plumpy’Nut is not only highly portable, but shelf-stable and ready-to-eat, aid workers can use it to reach children in their own homes. This eliminates the need for parents to travel for miles and neglect their households.

Edesia produces a variety of different ready-to-eat foods.

Plumpy’Nut

Plumpy’Nut comes in 92g individual sachets, each providing 500 calories. This ready-to-use food targets severe acute malnutrition. It can be consumed by infants aged 6 months and over, with one to three sachets administered per child per day.

This peanut-based therapeutic food is based on F-100 milk formulation. It complies with the World Health Organization definition of “Ready to Use Therapeutic Food” (RUTF). Plumpy’Nut is primarily distributed via medical professionals and aid workers operating community-based aid initiatives all over the world.

Plumpy’Sup

Each 100g sachet of Plumpy’Sup provides 540 calories. Specially designed for children aged 6 months and over, Plumpy’Sup is used for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition. It is generally administered at a dosage of one sachet per child per day for between 12 and 16 weeks.

Plumpy’Sup is a key component of targeted feeding supplementation programs. It is particularly effective for use in emergency situations. This RUSF is not intended to replace a child’s normal diet, but to supplement it with macro and micro-nutrients.

Plumpy’Doz

Each 50g sachet of this lipid-based supplement provides 270 calories. Designed to treat children aged 6 months and older, Plumpy’Doz prevents acute malnutrition, with each child consuming one sachet per day.

Plumpy’Doz is ideal in situations of food insecurity, providing a food supplement to help prevent acute malnutrition. It provides protein, calories, and essential nutrients for children whose diet fails to meet all of their nutritional needs.

Enov’Nutributter

Enov’Nutributter is a lipid-based small quantity food supplement. It comes in 20g sachets, each of which provides 110 calories. It is designed for children aged between 6 and 24 months to promote growth and prevent stunting. Consumed at a rate of one sachet per child per day, Enov’Nutributter helps fill nutritional gaps to aid development and growth.

Nutri’School

This lipid-based nutrient supplement is designed for children aged 3 years and over. Consumed at a rate of one sachet per child per day, Nutri’School provides essential vitamins and minerals, protein, and energy, with each 50g sachet providing 275 calories.

Plumpy’Mum

Optimized for pregnant and lactating women, each 92g sachet contains 515 calories, providing a delicate balance of protein and energy as well as vital micronutrients. This helps fill any gaps in the mother’s diet and promote healthy pregnancies and births. Caregivers prescribe Plumpy’Mum to breastfeeding mothers to help sustain infant health through the first 1,000 days of life.

Enov’Mum

Also optimized for pregnant and lactating women, each 20g sachet of Enov’Mum provides 120 calories. It is specially designed to provide nutrition and have a positive effect on maternal status, birth outcomes, and improve the health and development of the infant.

Edesia invites members of the public to visit its manufacturing premises.

Since opening its factory doors in 2010, Edesia has invited members of the public to come and see for themselves the vital work it carries out. The organization invites all interested parties to join Edesia in providing an effective solution to the malnutrition crisis that currently affects an estimated 220 million children worldwide.