What are specialized food products (LNS, RUTF) and how are they used? Can you procure them through Title II?
The term lipid-based nutrient supplements or LNS refers to a family of products in which vitamins and minerals are embedded in a fat-based food product (generally composed of vegetable fat, peanut paste, milk powder and sugar). They are considered lipid-based because the majority of the energy provided by these products is from lipids (fats). Thus LNS does not refer to one specific product, but a range of products with similar characteristics to those described above. There can be many different types and applications of LNS, ranging from prevention to treatment of malnutrition, depending on the particular vitamin and mineral formulation of the product, as well as the amount of product provided. The best known LNS are the ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF), such as Plumpynut, which are now widely used in treating severe acute malnutrition (SAM). More recently, LNS products such as Nutributter, which provide significantly less daily energy than RUTF but a full complement of vitamins
