Food is a basic necessity for life. Yet foods can also be associated with adverse health effects, including those resulting from dietary exposure to chemical substances, whether naturally occurring, process-induced, or in the form of additives or contaminants.  

FAO has released a briefing note summarizing the key messages of the publication Food safety in the context of limited food availability – Risk assessment of 3-MCPD and fatty acid esters in nutrient supplements and therapeutic food developed by FAO in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Médecins Sans Frontières. 

“We all need our food to be safe, and that includes foods distributed for humanitarian purposes. We believe that through this report, FAO has developed the scientific evidence that will allow humanitarian aid organizations to put suitable operational provisions in place to ensure that the health of beneficiaries from food aid deliveries remains adequately protected.” said Markus Lipp, FAO Senior Food Safety Officer.  

Severe acute malnutrition is a serious and debilitating condition that contributes to an estimated one to two million child deaths every year. Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) are fortified foods designed to prevent and treat malnutrition in children. LNS and RUTF are delivered by humanitarian organizations as part of nutritional programmes to treat malnutrition or severe wasting in children over a specified period of time. They are often produced locally in regions experiencing food insecurity. 

Given the health benefits of adequate food and nutrition, particularly in key windows of growth and development, some degree of risk may be tolerated provided it is clearly outweighed by the benefits. Supplemental and therapeutic foods such as LNS and RUTF are at the interface between food and medicines, as they are intended to treat and prevent severe acute malnutrition. 

This briefing note is aimed at practitioners and decision makers working to support nutrition in contexts of limited food availability.  

References 

FAO. 2024. Food safety in the context of limited food availability - Risk assessment of 3-MCPD and Glycidol fatty acid esters in nutrient supplements and therapeutic food. Briefing note. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd1871en 

FAO. 2024. Food safety in the context of limited food availability – Risk assessment of 3-MCPD and fatty acid esters in nutrient supplements and therapeutic food. Food Safety and Quality Series, No. 25. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0761en 

© FAO / Peter DiCampo