Consultant – Nutrition Formulation for MAM Treatment Blend at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Background of the project  

• IRC is exploring whether Tom Brown can be reformulated into a safer, more consistent, treatment-grade product for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in Northeast Nigeria.
• The goal is to define a product that remains locally familiar, affordable, and practical to prepare, while meeting stronger standards for nutrition, safety, quality, and production consistency.

This consultancy focuses on the nutrition formulation side of the work, with explicit goals to:

• Define the target nutritional profile and formulation guardrails for reformulated Tom Brown.
• Develop 3–4 candidate reformulations using locally viable ingredients.
• Assess each option’s nutritional strengths, gaps, risks, and trade-offs against treatment requirements.
• Advise on fortification, premix, bioavailability, nutrient stability, and ingredient interactions.
• Identify preparation, sensory, acceptability, and caregiver-use risks that should be tested before pilot production.

Scope of work 

• The consultant will lead development of nutritionally credible Tom Brown reformulation options, grounded in treatment requirements and aligned with industrial feasibility constraints.
• Define nutrition targets and guardrails
• Develop a clear nutrition target matrix for reformulated Tom Brown, anchored in relevant national and international standards (e.g., WHO supplementary food guidance, WFP TSF specifications) and future-state procurement criteria (e.g., UNICEF Supply Division, NAFDAC).
• Define target ranges, minimum thresholds, and red lines for energy density, macro- and micronutrient profile, protein quality, fat composition, digestibility, and suitability for young children with MAM.
• Clarify which attributes are non-negotiable, which are preferred, and where trade-offs may be acceptable.
• Define formulation principles and ingredient framework
• Set practical formulation principles, including simplicity, local ingredient availability, digestibility, cost sensitivity, caregiver preparation burden, and compatibility with local production constraints.
• Define acceptable ingredient categories, including carbohydrate bases, protein sources, fat sources, and fortification or premix options.
• Advise on premix, bioavailability, nutrient stability, and ingredient interactions, including risks linked to processing, storage, and local climatic conditions.
• Develop candidate Tom Brown reformulations (Primary Deliverable)
• Develop 3–4 candidate reformulations, each including ingredient composition, estimated nutritional profile, preparation method, rationale, and key trade-offs.
• For each option, identify nutritional gaps versus the target profile, risks to recovery outcomes, fortification concerns, preparation risks, and assumptions requiring validation.
• Ensure each formulation is realistic for caregiver preparation, digestible for young children, cost-sensitive, and compatible with industrial feasibility constraints.
• Align with production feasibility
• Work closely with the Industrial Feasibility Consultant to adapt formulations based on local production realities.
• Identify which formulation attributes must be protected and which can be modified to improve manufacturability, stability, cost, or scalability.
• Coordinate with the Industrial Feasibility Consultant through a joint kickoff and a mid-point sync.
• Co-author a short Joint Reconciliation Note capturing where production realities and nutrition targets converged or diverged.
• Define sensory and preparation considerations
• Define practical sensory and usability criteria, including taste, aroma, texture, mouthfeel, cooking time, water ratio, thickness, and caregiver ease of use.
• Identify risks related to mis-preparation, dilution, refusal, cultural acceptability, or caregiver burden.
• Recommend what should be tested during prototype or pilot work.
• The lead consultant will work closely with IRC’s Research and Innovation team, IRC Nigeria Nutrition team and external industrial feasibility advisors, and is responsible for ensuring deliverables are met. 

Deliverables

• Nutrition Target Matrix and Reformulation Guardrails o Target nutritional profile, acceptable ranges, minimum thresholds, red lines, and acceptable trade-offs.
• Ingredient and Fortification Framework o Recommended ingredient categories, premix assumptions, bioavailability considerations, and nutrient-stability risks.
• 3–4 Candidate Tom Brown Reformulations — Primary Deliverable o Formulation options with ingredient composition, estimated nutrition profile, preparation method, rationale, trade-offs, and key risks.
• Preparation, Sensory, and Acceptability Considerations o Summary of caregiver-use requirements, palatability considerations, mis-preparation risks, and recommended validation questions.
• Final Recommendation o Recommendation on which 1–2 reformulations should advance, which should be dropped, what trade-offs are acceptable, and what nutrition risks must be tested before larger pilot production.
• Joint Reconciliation Note (with Industrial Feasibility Consultant) o Short joint memo on where production realities and nutrition targets converged or diverged, and the trade-offs made or recommended.

Requirements
The consultant should bring:

• Familiarity with RUSF, fortified blended foods, supplementary feeding products, or similar nutrition products
• Humanitarian, public-sector nutrition, Nigeria, or comparable-context experience - preferably in Borno State
• Experience designing simple, scalable formulations for young children or nutritionally vulnerable populations
• Ability to define nutrition targets and translate them into practical formulations
• Familiarity with premix, fortification, bioavailability, and nutrient stability
• Ability to balance nutritional adequacy with cost, manufacturability, ingredient availability, and caregiver preparation realities

Payment Rate and Schedule:

• Activity-based, linked to delivery of defined outputs, within an overall budget of x.