Tuesday, April 13, 2010

BBC News - Legal fight over Plumpy'nut, the hunger wonder-product

BBC News - Legal fight over Plumpy'nut, the hunger wonder-product

The makers of Plumpy'Nut, an enriched/fortified peanut butter concoction used to treat starvation, are facing legal questions over the legality of their patent on the product. US distributers want to be able to make produce and sell the product, while Nutriset claims their interest is not in limiting production, but in developing the capacity of local (African) organizations to produce the item using local supplies. A good point:

The US is the world's biggest food donor, but laws there require that 99% of aid money be spent on American-grown surpluses. Nutriset believes its would-be competitors in the US are trying to cash in on this opportunity - to the huge detriment of local producers in Africa.

It may seem obvious that restricting the production of this literally life-saving product would prevent it from reaching the starving kids who need it most, but it's more complex than that. Nutriset makes a valid point in wanting to increase the capacity of local producers to manufacture the product using locally available peanuts and the like. Opening up the market to American companies would almost certainly eliminate the possibility of success for the development of local enterprises. Of course, Nutriset must have it's own business's affairs in mind, but there's more to it than just that. What are your thoughts?

No comments:

Post a Comment

 
Think local. Act global. Learn more about the Peace Corps