Trade name for a ready-to-eat mixture of
peanut butter, sugar,
milk solids, and other nutrients intended to treat cases of acute malnutrition such as in the case of humanitarian crises. Since it requires no water or other preparation it is attractive as a self-contained food source in situations where basic
sanitation is not assured. It is packaged in shelf-stable pouches for ease of distribution.
Plumpy'Nut is manufactured exclusively by a for-profit French company under patent protection. There have been critics of the firm's motives and the way they jealously guard all their products in the face of the suffering of the poverty-stricken populations they serve, though there does not appear to be a freely available alternative or even a serious competitor at the moment.
References:
http://www.nutriset.fr/en/product-range/produit-par-produit/plumpy-nut-ready-to-use-therapeutic-food-rutf.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05Plumpy-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0