State Department addresses decision to destroy 500 tons of emergency food [View all]

Source: ABC News

The State Department is defending its plans to destroy approximately 500 tons of taxpayer-funded emergency food resources, arguing that it represents only a small portion of the food aid the U.S. distributes each year.

The high-energy, nutrient-dense biscuits have been stockpiled at a Dubai warehouse for months and are set to expire this month, officials familiar with the situation confirmed to ABC News earlier this week.

In a press briefing Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the decision to destroy the food stores, telling reporters, "If something is expired, we will destroy it. It's a matter of whether or not it's safe to distribute."

"We, as an example, distribute roughly 1 million metric tons of food aid every year, which is reflective of the American people's generosity," Bruce said, adding that "500 metric tons represents less than 1%" of the food aid the U.S. distributes annually, and that the stores in question had been stockpiled in "the event of an emergency."

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/state-department-addresses-decision-destroy-500-tons-emergency/story?id=123837748