Georgia manufacturer helps lead new push to end starvation with emergency food

A Georgia manufacturer is at the center of the fight to end starvation due to an emergency food it produces from locally sourced peanuts.

Mana Nutrition in Fitzgerald, Georgia, is one of two manufacturers of ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF), which is a peanut-based nutritional aid. 

The State Department announced in July a commitment of $100 million spread over two years, which is about a third of federal spending on the product in 2025, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

A new public/private partnership called Operation End Starvation has been created to bridge the gap. The private sector will deal with logistics of RUTF aid while the State Department will match every dollar raised with three dollars from taxpayers.

Mana Nutrition CEO Mark Moore told GPB News that the new funding and partnerships will help some of the challenges the company has faced since DOGE cuts to USAID.

“I would say it doesn’t solve them, but it’s very good news in that it gives us a couple of years of certainty, which is way more than we had before,” he said. 

The group has raised about $33 million and plans to place its first RUTF orders by October.