US Wheat Wants to Keep "Food" in Food Aid Programs

Peter Laudeman, US Wheat Associates director of trade policy, has spent a lot of time on the US International Food Aid Program. He says a program takes surplus commodities and donates them to other countries that have dire hunger situations. He points out that the 2023 Farm Bill does have a section for food aid and US Wheat wants to ensure that wheat does not lose its place in food aid donations.

“What we've seen over kind of the life of these international food assistance programs is a shift from what used to be about 100% donated US commodity to commodities to those in need. And now we've kind of chipped away over a series of barbells. And now it's really a bigger focus on donating cash donating vouchers for local food production, sourcing commodities from foreign agriculture competitors, and that's obviously a huge concern to us wheat associates, it really removes us agriculture from the equation in these programs and something that we we don't like to see we think that the best way to provide this type of assistance is by directly providing food to those in need.”

Loudeman explains why cash is given in lieu of food for aid donations.

“It just gives an enormous amount of latitude to the implementing organization.”

Laudeman says that the trend started with the emergency food security program and all cash program that began 10 years ago. He points out the US is one of the only countries left that substantially incorporates food into the International Food Aid program.