Since July 2025, Madagascar has been home to a groundbreaking initiative offering hope to malnourished children: Eat & Play, an innovative project co-developed by Nutriset and UNICEF. This clever concept gives a second life to Plumpy Nut packaging by transforming the cartons… into toys!
An innovation serving the fight against child malnutrition
TANJAKA FOOD, a key player in nutrition in Madagascar and member of the Plumpyfield® network, is now the official partner leading the deployment of Eat & Play in the country. The result of 12 months of joint development with UNICEF and the Plumpyfield network, this launch marks a major milestone: the first toy-integrated Plumpy Nut cartons are now being locally produced and distributed across the country.
A first delivery in southern and southeastern Madagascar
The pilot phase, coordinated by UNICEF Madagascar, began with an initial delivery to four districts in the southern and southeastern regions of the country, where malnutrition rates are particularly high.
Therapeutic toys designed to heal and help children grow
Each Plumpy Nut carton includes two pre-cut toy sets : trucks and savannah, ready to be assembled by children with help from their parents.
The goal : to stimulate cognitive development during nutritional treatment and strengthen parental engagement, a key success factor in the recovery process.
Through this project, TANJAKA FOOD reaffirms its mission to combat child malnutrition sustainably by combining innovation, local production, and strategic partnerships. The company manufactures ready-to-use nutritional solutions (Plumpy Nut, Plumpy Sup, Plumpy Doz, Kalina Zaza) in Madagascar, meeting international quality standards, and supplies major NGOs such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Watch the video to see how the Eat & Play cartons work in action.