Georgia Peanut Tour Highlights Manna Nutrition’s Fight Against Global Malnutrition
This past week, the Georgia Peanut Tour welcomed more than 125 participants from across the Southeast and around the globe. One of the most impactful stops on the tour was at Manna Nutrition in Fitzgerald, Georgia, where visitors were given a behind-the-scenes look at a life-saving peanut-based product: ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).
“RUTF is a dense, nutrient-rich food used to treat severe malnutrition, and they send this food all over the world. The purpose of RUTF is to help children gain weight and improve their strength and restore overall health. It is made with milk, multivitamins, and peanut butter.”
Attendees learned how this shelf-stable, no-prep-required product is transforming lives. RUTF is designed for efficiency and effectiveness—especially in crisis zones where malnutrition is a leading cause of death among children under five.
“The product is essentially effective because it is shelf-stable and does not require water, does not require any kind of heat, and requires no preparation.”
At the heart of Manna Nutrition’s operations is a growing production facility in Fitzgerald.
“The Fitzgerald facility spans 135,000 square feet and has the capacity to produce 500,000 pounds of RUTF per day.”
This visit also brought some good news for the organization’s operations:
“It was a great visit. USAID has paid their bills and everyone’s happy about that.”
Manna Nutrition’s work exemplifies how Georgia’s peanut industry continues to support not just domestic agriculture but global humanitarian efforts. The tour highlighted how peanut butter, a staple product of the region, plays a key role in saving lives through nutrition innovation.
With plans to expand their product line, Manna Nutrition is poised to grow its impact even further. As the Georgia Peanut Tour concluded, the stop at this forward-thinking facility served as a powerful reminder of the global importance of peanut farming and food science.
Audio Reporting by Tyron Spearman for Southeast AgNet.