State Department defends U.S. food-aid record after reports 500 tons of emergency rations expired

Tammy, a State Department spokesperson, told reporters that emergency food rations stored around the world can expire and that expired items are destroyed if they are not safe to distribute. "If something is, expired, we'll we will destroy it," she said. Tammy said the United States distributes roughly 1,000,000 metric tons of food aid annually and that 500 metric tons of high-energy biscuits in a Middle East warehouse "represents less than 1% of the food aid that we distribute around the world."

Reporters asked whether those expired packages could have been repurposed and whether language in a congressional rescission bill would affect UNHCR efforts to resettle Syrians. Tammy said she did not have the specific answer on the rescission bill at the briefing and offered to take the question back to provide detail: "We're going to take that back and get that for you."

At the briefing Tammy explained the difference between food purchased for immediate distribution and emergency rations held in reserves for sudden catastrophes. She described the emergency stock as intentionally held in place for potential future disasters and likened them to batteries kept for emergencies: if they are not used and then expire, they are removed and replenished.

Tammy said the department is reviewing systems and that Secretary Rubio has prioritized reforms to aid delivery and distribution. "It doesn't mean because something looks different that it's going away," she said, adding that the United States will continue to be a major provider of food aid while seeking efficiency improvements. Reporters pressed for specific follow-up on how the rescission language would affect operations; Tammy repeated she would supply details after consulting colleagues and the White House as needed.