Peanut paste against world hunger: Michel Lescanne named finalist for European Inventor 2015 for his development of ready-to-use therapeutic food Plumpy’Nut

• The non-perishable peanut paste is ready to be consumed without the need for preparation with water
• New tool in fighting hunger with an instantly edible product
• Has become the most important and used ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for UNICEF
• Survival rate of children in crisis regions dramatically improved
• Help for self-help: free licensing to promote local production sites in 30 African states
• EPO President Benoît Battistelli: " Michel Lescanne has come up with an efficient answer to one of the most pressing problems of the 21^st century."

Munich/Malaunay 21 April 2015 - Around 60 million children worldwide under the age of 5 are suffering from severe malnutrition and 142 million from chronic malnutrition, one million of whom die every year as a result. Even those who survive are faced with severe long-term side effects. Malnourished children usually fall behind their peers in their development and suffer their whole lives from the physical and psychological lasting effects malnutrition has on them. This is where French inventor Michel Lescanne comes in: his peanut-based, ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) is a quick and effective aid for people suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Plumpy'Nut is non-perishable, can be directly consumed without the need of preparation with water and is rich in calories and nutrients - a decisive support in the fight against world hunger led by humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF and WHO. For his outstanding innovation, the European Patent Office (EPO) has named Lescanne a finalist for the 2015 European Inventor Award in the "Small and medium-sized enterprises" category. The winners of the 10th edition of the annual innovation award will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on 11 June.

“A simple idea: to use local resources in the fight against hunger,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli announcing this year’s finalists for the award. “But how? This is what Michel Lescanne has achieved.”

Plumpy'Nut enables quick aid for emergencies

Before the development of Plumpy'Nut, relief organisations were dependant on milk powder for the treatment of acute malnutrition in children. Additionally, children had to be kept in a hospital with access to fresh water and a functioning refrigeration system in order to ensure successful treatment and recovery. Otherwise they would run a risk of having the milk powder mixed with bacteria infested water, possibly resulting in life-threatening illnesses. To create a ready-to-use therapeutic food that can be a better aid in areas lacking infrastructure, Michel Lescanne worked together with the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) to develop a new approach. After unsuccessful attempts with enriched cookies, pancakes and yoghurts, the exciting new idea was sparked at the sight of a jar of nut nougat cream. Just like these sorts of spreads, Plumpy'Nut is oil based and was the first immediately consumable RUTF.

The peanut product hit the market in 2001 and contains around 500 calories per pack. It is made up of peanut paste, milk powder, vegetable oil, sugar and a mix of important vitamins and micronutrients, giving it many advantages over its predecessors: no water or other ingredients are needed for the preparation, and the packages have a non-refrigerated shelf life of 2 years. Furthermore, patients being treated with Plumpy'Nut do not need to be in a hospital. The package can be easily torn open and the contents can be squeezed out of the wrapper and immediately consumed - allowing quick and easy consumption for children as young as 6 months old.

One life can be saved for just 30 euros

During the hunger crisis of 2005, Doctors Without Borders used Plumpy'Nut to treat more than 60 000 children in Niger and within a few months saw a full-recovery success rate of 90 per cent. A 7-week treatment is on average enough to save and stabilise one malnourished child and costs around 30 euros. The peanut paste has become the most used RUTF for UNICEF and in 2014 made up around 60 per cent of the nutrition-aid supply of humanitarian organisations. In 2009 the total market value was estimated to be around 163 million euros and since then the demand from UNICEF alone has quadrupled. Currently, Plumpy'Nut is being used to aid hunger in Syria, where millions of people are fleeing their homes due to civil war.

Family business helping development in areas of crisis

Headquartered in Malaunay/France, Nutriset is a medium-sized, family-owned and operated business. In 2014 it had 160 employees and generated revenues of 110 million euros. Since then the company has developed two ranges of products:  Plumpy' and Enov' that can treat and prevent different types of malnutrition. The patent for Plumpy'Nut is jointly held by Nutriset and IRD. It is related to the recipe and the preparation, as well as consistency of Plumpy'Nut. Using a franchise model, Nutriset also offers production licenses to local manufacturers to encourage on-site production. The company also offers on-site training to ensure that the standard of quality is met. This not only increases efficiency but also helps to further develop crisis regions socially and economically.

Additional resources

• Read more about the inventor
• View the patent: EP1032280

Simple but effective

Especially in regions with little or no infrastructure, simple solutions are needed to effectively aid local citizens. Lescanne sets a new benchmark in fighting world hunger with his immediately edible and calorie rich peanut paste, Plumpy'Nut. Since then, others are following suit using more simple principles to significantly improve life in poorer countries. 

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Jeremy Philpott
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European Patent Office
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jphilpott@epo.org

Tristan d'Avezac de Moran
Shepard Fox Communications France
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Scarlette Elizée
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