U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten to Waste Food Stocks Meant for 3.5 Million People
Trump’s Funding Reductions Leave $98M Worth of Emergency Rations at Risk of Expiration Worldwide.
Watan-Five informed sources revealed that food rations sufficient to feed 3.5 million people for a month are set to spoil in storage facilities worldwide due to cuts in U.S. aid, potentially rendering them unusable.
Three sources formerly with USAID and two from other humanitarian organizations said that food stockpiles have been stuck in four U.S. government-managed warehouses since President Donald Trump’s administration decided in January to reduce international aid programs.
Two of the sources added that part of the inventory will expire by early July and will likely be destroyed—either by burning, repurposing as animal feed, or through other means.
$98M in U.S. Food Aid at Risk as Global Hunger Surges to Record Highs
According to the five sources, the warehouses—operated by USAID’s Office of Humanitarian Assistance—hold between 60,000 and 66,000 tons of food commodities supplied by American farmers and manufacturers.
An undated inventory list reviewed by Reuters and confirmed by a U.S. government source listed the warehouses in Djibouti, South Africa, Dubai, and Houston. These stores include more than 66,000 tons of items like high-energy biscuits, vegetable oils, and fortified grains, valued at over $98 million.
Reuters analysis based on World Food Programme data showed this volume of food could feed over a million people for three months—or the entire population of Gaza for a month and a half.
The World Food Programme estimates that one ton of high-energy food (typically grains, legumes, and oils) can meet the daily caloric needs of approximately 1,660 people.
Meanwhile, the UN’s latest report shows that acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting more than 295 million people in 53 countries and regions. This marks a 5% increase from 2023, with 22.6% of people in the hardest-hit areas suffering crisis-level hunger or worse.
Rein Paulsen, Director of Emergencies and Resilience at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), called the Global Report on Food Crises “shocking.” He noted that conflicts, extreme weather, and economic shocks are the main drivers—and often overlap.
UN Warns of Worsening Global Hunger as Aid Cuts and Crises Collide
The UN warned that the situation is set to deteriorate in 2025, largely due to the biggest projected drop in humanitarian food supply funding since reporting began. Funding cuts range from 10% to over 45%.
Trump’s decisions played a major role, with more than 80% of USAID’s food assistance programs around the world being eliminated.
Cindy McCain, head of the Rome-based World Food Programme, warned, “Millions of hungry people have already lost—or are about to lose—the vital lifeline we provide.”
Conflict remains the primary driver of hunger, affecting nearly 140 million people in 20 countries in 2024, including Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali—all facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Sudan has already confirmed famine conditions.
Economic shocks such as inflation and currency devaluation pushed around 59.4 million people into food crises across 15 countries, including Syria and Yemen.
Extreme weather events—mainly droughts and floods fueled by El Niño—triggered emergencies in 18 countries, impacting over 96 million people, especially in Southern Africa, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
The number of people facing famine-like conditions more than doubled to 1.9 million in 2024—the highest recorded since monitoring began in 2016.
Child malnutrition has reached alarming levels, with nearly 38 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition in 26 crisis zones, including Sudan, Yemen, Mali, and Gaza.
To break the cycle of hunger, the report urged investment in local food systems. “Evidence shows that supporting local agriculture can help people live with dignity—and at lower cost,” said Paulsen.
