US Lifts Pause On Food Donations, Allowing Aid Shipments To Resume

The United States has lifted a suspension on food donations, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) announced, clearing the way for the resumption of critical food aid that had been left in limbo.

The pause, which had disrupted the delivery of 500,000 metric tons of food currently at sea or awaiting shipment, was rescinded, WFP confirmed in a post on X.

“We can confirm that the recent pause concerning in-kind food assistance to WFP – purchased from U.S. farmers with Title II funds – has been rescinded,” WFP said in an X post on Sunday. “This allows for the resumption of food purchases and deliveries under existing USAID agreements.”

The halt had been imposed as part of US President Donald Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign aid, a move aimed at reassessing whether contributions aligned with his “America First” policy. Despite a waiver allowing emergency food assistance, Washington had also ordered WFP to stop work on multiple US-funded grants.

Several suspended grants fell under the Food for Peace Title II program, which annually allocates around $2 billion for food aid donations. The program, jointly administered by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), provides crucial support to impoverished nations.

The halted aid affected food deliveries to crisis-stricken countries, including Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Haiti, and Mali.

USAID’s Office of Inspector General warned in a report released on Monday that the pause had put more than $489 million worth of food aid at risk of spoilage, storage complications, and potential diversion.

“Because this funding source was not included under the Secretary’s emergency food assistance waiver, these commodities were held in limbo, subjecting them to spoilage, unanticipated storage needs, and potential diversion,” the report stated.

The sudden freeze on US food aid created widespread confusion among humanitarian organisations, leaving them uncertain about whether to proceed with shipments at their own financial risk.

While the recent reversal will allow food deliveries to continue, the disruption has underscored concerns over the unpredictability of US foreign aid policies and their impact on global humanitarian efforts.

The US State Department has not yet commented on the decision to lift the pause.

Melissa Enoch

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