Hundreds of boxes labeled “DESTROY” now mark expired U.S. food aid that’s been sitting untouched in a Georgia warehouse. Around 15,000 pounds of nutrition-packed peanut paste — meant for starving children in places like Sudan — will never reach its destination. It was never shipped.
At the center of this mess is Mana Nutrition, a nonprofit with $50 million in ready-to-use therapeutic food stacked floor to ceiling in its Pooler, Georgia facility. That food could help feed up to 60 million people, the company says. But it’s stuck.
Mana’s chief operating officer, David Todd Harmon, says it plainly: the food has been bought, paid for, and was ready to go. It just wasn’t picked up. Blame rests largely on the abrupt dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration, which slashed more than 80% of its programming and shut down the agency entirely on July 1.
Bottleneck
The fallout has been massive. According to a May memo from the State Department, over 60,000 metric tons of food commodities were collecting dust in U.S. and global warehouses. A rush plan was approved to move some of it — around 13,700 metric tons that would spoil within the next year — while nearly 48,000 metric tons were reassigned to the State Department for slower distribution.
Here’s the status snapshot:
| Item | Quantity/Value |
|---|---|
| Total stock in warehouses | 60,000+ metric tons |
| Peanut paste expired in Georgia | 15,000 lbs |
| Value of stuck food at Mana | $50 million |
| Stock at Edesia Nutrition (RI) | 185,000 boxes worth $75M |
| Recent WFP shipment approved | $52 million for 12,000 tons |
Delays
Eleven days ago, the State Department finally issued a $52 million grant to the U.N. World Food Program. It will be used to ship 12,000 metric tons of food from warehouses in Djibouti and Houston to Africa and Haiti. Gaza, where famine is gripping the population, was not included.
The department insists that the food was “pre-positioned” and wasn’t delayed. But an inspector general’s review is already underway due to worries about spoiled or damaged stock.
Meanwhile, experts say any further delays could cost lives. Severely malnourished children can’t afford to miss even one week of feeding, said Kathrin Lauer, a USAID veteran who was laid off earlier this year.
Waste
The destruction of expired food isn’t just happening in Georgia. It’s the third known incident this summer where ready-to-use food or health products have been destroyed instead of delivered.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, among others, has blasted the situation as indefensible, saying these products were bought with taxpayer money to save lives — not rot in storage.
Even when shipments are finally cleared, they’re too slow. For example, 1,000 metric tons of high-energy biscuits intended for Gaza were flagged for urgent shipping this spring. But only 600 tons were eventually approved — too late to save the rest, which expired.
Cutbacks
The root of the problem goes deeper. The Trump administration’s broader cutbacks on foreign aid are shaking the entire structure of U.S. humanitarian efforts.
Just this year, $73 million was given to the WFP to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Yet on the ground, things are worsening. In refugee camps like Cox’s Bazar, food vouchers for infants have stopped, and programs for fresh vegetables are being phased out. Community leader Shamsul Alam said bluntly: if things continue this way, people will starve.
Uncertainty
The next crisis could hit at any moment, and aid experts are worried the U.S. won’t be ready. With distribution channels broken and thousands of trained USAID employees laid off, there’s confusion over what aid will be delivered and when.
The Trump administration has clawed back $9 billion in foreign aid this year, including $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance. And for the coming fiscal year, it wants to slash food aid from $10 billion to $4 billion — and completely eliminate Food For Peace, the $1.6 billion program that buys U.S. farm commodities for overseas relief.
While Congress pushes back on some of these cuts, the damage is already done. Aid is sitting in warehouses. Children are going hungry. And the global reputation of American generosity is on thin ice.
FAQs
Why is U.S. food aid being destroyed?
Because it expired before being shipped overseas.
What happened to USAID?
It was dismantled under the Trump administration.
How much aid is stuck in warehouses?
Over 60,000 metric tons, globally and in the U.S.
Who is Mana Nutrition?
A nonprofit that produces food for malnourished children.
Is any food still being shipped?
Yes, but delays mean some aid arrives too late.
