Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects approx. 19 million children below five years of age in low and middle income countries. Both shortage and low quality of foods are important determinants of SAM. With the development of special ready-to-use foods and by using simple treatment protocols, it is now possible to treat SAM successfully outside hospitals and treatment centers thereby reducing the case-fatality rate. However, only a small percentage of children with SAM have access to correct treatment.