June 08, 2009
A new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that congressional restrictions on food aid shipped from the United States delay and raise the costs of delivery to hungry people. A popular alternative, buying food locally or regionally, has its own pitfalls, disrupting local markets and creating shortages. CGD senior fellow Kim Elliott proposes that the United States give food aid as cash so recipient countries can buy food wherever it makes the most sense, on the basis of price and urgency.