US says it destroyed 500 metric tons of expired food aid but it won’t affect future distribution
The State Department says its destruction of 500 metric tons of emergency food aid that was stored in a warehouse in the Middle East was required because it had expired. Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday that the high energy biscuits could no longer be safely sent to potential recipients. They’re used primarily to provide immediate nutritional needs for children in crisis situations. Democratic lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of creating a crisis and ignoring urgent humanitarian needs by suspending most foreign assistance. Bruce says the amount destroyed was less than 1% of the total food assistance that the U.S. supplies annually and wouldn’t affect the distribution of similar assistance moving forward.
