The United States on Wednesday pledged $280 million to help fight child malnutrition through the delivery of ready-to-eat packets in countries suffering acute food shortages.

At an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the US Agency for International Development pledged US$200 million of a total of US$280 million in an event with UNICEF to stop child wasting, the small amount caused by poor diet weight for the size.

“The truth is that waste is treatable,” USAID Director Samantha Power said.

“Complex cases require more specialized medical care, but for simple cases caught early, treatment is inexpensive and can be done at home,” she said.

“Yet only a third of children suffering from wasting today are receiving the treatment they need. And with more funding, better systems of care and improved access to healthcare, we can empower communities to save their children’s lives.”

So-called ready-to-use therapeutic foods are pastes of high nutritional value that are given to children who are severely wasted.

Invented by the French researcher Andre Briend, they can be eaten straight away and have a long shelf life.

Power said a full course of the therapeutic packages takes several weeks and requires supervision by a health worker, with treatment costing just over $100 per child.

The event, also organized with NGOs and Senegal, came hours after US President Joe Biden pledged $2.9 billion in new funds to tackle global food insecurity.

Food shortages have been exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major grain exporter, with Somalia facing famine after consecutive failed rainy seasons.