Talking Points on Food Aid Reform 2014
WHY FOOD AID MATTERS
From the Philippines to Haiti, U.S. food aid saves lives and transforms communities, reaching around 50
million people each year—young mothers, children, people in refugee camps, subsistence farmers.
The largest food-aid program is Food for Peace, which provides food in emergency situations as well as
over the long term to support agricultural and economic growth in the poorest countries.
WHY REFORM MATTERS
The Local and Regional Purchase program allows our nation to buy food in or near the country where it’s
needed, getting food to hungry people up to 14 weeks faster at no extra cost. Half the food aid budget
goes to pay international shipping conglomerates, but by purchasing locally, we could feed millions more
people at no extra cost. Starving people come before shipping companies.
Buying food in or near the country where it’s needed promotes long-term food security by encouraging
local farmers to grow more food. Small farmers in the developing world play an essential role in
overcoming global hunger.
Buying food in or near the country where it’s needed allows us to provide culturally appropriate and more
nutritious food rather than shipping excess food supplies from another culture across the ocean.
To summarize, making our food aid policy flexible allows the program to 1) feed millions of additional
people 2) faster than we currently do 3) with more nutritious food and 4) at no extra cost. But
increasing restrictions on what percentage of food must be shipped handcuffs the food aid program and
takes money and food away from hungry people.
DEVELOPMENTS IN CONGRESS
Congress is currently arguing about the cargo preference for food aid, meaning what percentage of
materials (including food) must be shipped from the U.S. as opposed to purchased locally. The House
recently passed a bill with an amendment tucked in to raise the percentage from 50% to 75%. Food aid
reformers from both parties along with President Obama want to see the percentage decreased to give
food aid greater flexibility.
UNFOUNDED CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD AID REFORM
Because food aid is a minimal proportion of overall U.S.-flagged preference shipping, the impact of U.S.
food aid reform on U.S. shipping industry would be small. Only 4 shipping companies benefit from
transporting U.S. food aid, whereas millions more hungry people could eat if we purchased nutritious
food overseas.
U.S. national security will remain strong as the U.S. modernizes U.S. food aid. Per the Defense
Department’s analysis, Undersecretary of Defense Frank Kendall stated that the proposed reforms “will
not impact U.S. maritime readiness and national security,” and confirmed that reforms would have no
bearing on any militarily useful vessels.
SOUND BITES
Starving people and people in great need are more deserving of protection than international shipping
conglomerates.
U.S. food aid is more efficient when the program is flexible. Let’s make it EASIER, not harder, to help
people overseas overcome hunger.
U.S. food aid helps 50 million vulnerable people a year, but it could do so much more through simple,
common-sense reforms….without costing any more money.
Buying U.S. food aid in or near the country where it is needed preserves the quality of the food but also
invests in local farmers, who themselves are among the most important players in ending global hunger.
Strengthening farming in the poorest parts of the world through Local and Regional Purchase reduces
hunger, helps stabilize regions that are vulnerable to unrest, and strengthens global security.