Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Jul 18: In a significant development, the US State Department has confirmed the destruction of over 500 metric tons of expired emergency food aid stored in Dubai, UAE, assuring that the move will not hinder ongoing global assistance programmes.

The expired consignment—mainly high-energy biscuits meant for malnourished children in crisis-hit areas—was stored as part of emergency response reserves in the Middle East. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the stockpile was deemed unfit for consumption and was responsibly destroyed to avoid health risks.

“This represents less than 1% of our annual global food assistance. If something is expired, we destroy it—it’s a question of safety,” Bruce said, adding that such actions are routine and not uncommon across previous administrations.

The issue, first highlighted by The Atlantic, has triggered concerns in recent congressional hearings, with Democratic lawmakers blaming the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts for supply chain lapses and delays in distribution. Critics argue that the rollback of USAID's operations has left critical food stockpiles unmanaged and vulnerable to wastage.

At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Senator Jeanne Shaheen voiced concern over the loss of aid at a time when 319 million people globally are facing acute hunger, including populations in Sudan, Gaza, Mali, South Sudan, and Haiti.

Shaheen demanded the State Department provide a detailed inventory of existing food aid reserves and recommended distributing aid through partner organisations if federal mechanisms fall short. “We can’t afford to let lifesaving supplies rot in warehouses when people are starving,” she said, citing additional at-risk stocks in Houston and Djibouti.

In response, Deputy Secretary Michael Rigas assured that the administration had no intention of letting aid go to waste and committed to exploring faster deployment of supplies before expiry.

Despite the setback, officials reiterated the US government’s commitment to global food security and humanitarian aid, pledging that the destroyed consignment would be replenished as part of future shipments under USAID.