Plumpynut: The name may sound funny, but this new edible spread is no laughing matter.

In fact, it might just be the key to ending malnutrition in all of the world's most impoverished areas, saving millions of lives.

In Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, most residents rely on a grain called millet for sustenance. But millet doesn't contain the necessary protein to keep growing children alive – in most countries, it is not considered fit for human consumption, and is used only as bird seed. In that desperate African nation, most mothers have witnessed the death of at least one child, simply because there is not enough food available.

But things are turning around fast, thanks to the introduction of Plumpynut. The new food product is a thick paste made up of peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered sugar, and a variety of vitamins. It requires no refrigeration, so there's no need to worry about it spoiling. And thanks to the sweetly addictive flavor, even the pickiest children will lap it up in seconds.

A Doctors Without Borders team passes out free tubs and packets of Plumpynut to hungry villagers in Niger each week. Mothers walk for miles beneath the sweltering sun, along paths crawling with scorpions and snakes, just for the chance to bring another packet of Plumpynut back home to their sick children.

And the calorie-rich substance is working wonders on the starving children's health. For years, most hospitals in the country have been overrun, with more bodies than beds to fit them in. Now, because the residents have access to Plumpynut, the number of sick children who need immediate medical attention has decreased dramatically. For the first time in most doctors' memories, there are empty beds in the hospitals.

Thanks to Plumpynut, "kids are doing better. Moms say their child's skin is brighter. Their appetites are better. And they're less sick," Dr. Susan Shepard told CBS' 60 Minutes. "What more could you ask for?"

Learn more. (CBS News)


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