It supports rapid weight gain derived from broad nutrient intake which can alleviate impending illness or death in a starving child.

[8] The United Nations has recognized this utility, stating in 2007 that "new evidence suggests... that large numbers of children with severe acute malnutrition can be treated in their communities without being admitted to a health facility or a therapeutic feeding centre,"[12] as was implemented in 2007 by UNICEF and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department in Niger to address a malnutrition emergency.

[15] The ingredients in Plumpy'Nut include "peanut-based paste, with sugar, vegetable oil and skimmed milk powder, enriched with vitamins and minerals".

[5] Inspired by the popular Nutella spread,[5] Plumpy'Nut was invented in 1996 by André Briend, a French paediatric nutritionist, and Michel Lescanne, a food-processing engineer.

In contrast, Plumpy'Nut is a combination of peanut paste, vegetable oil and milk powder, without including chocolate, but containing sugar, vitamins and dietary minerals.

[20] In 2010, two US non-profit organizations unsuccessfully sued the French company in an attempt to legally produce Plumpy'Nut in the US without paying the royalty fee.

[10] Mike Mellace, president of one of the organizations claimed that "some children are dying because Nutriset prevents other companies from producing a food which could save their lives.

Instead it appears that [Nutriset has] decided to adopt a policy of aggressive protection of [its] patents that could be considered an abuse in relation to humanitarian products.

[25] In response to the criticism, Nutriset has allowed companies and NGOs in some African countries to make the paste and not pay license fees.