Milling & Baking News - March 6, 2012 - 7

Food for peace must not be deprived of funds

t is hard to imagine a time when food aid offers the last two decades of the 20th century. In reacgreater opportunities for improving America’s tion to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on image in the world than now. Sadly, this is also Washington and New York, President George W. the time when budgetary pressures are causing Bush expanded funding in the belief these efforts aid funding to shrink to the lowest levels in years, would counter anti-American attitudes in regions threatening damage to this image. Even without where plotting was encouraged by food insecuformal budgetary action slashing American rity. That much of this undertaking is about to be food aid shipments, the volume of aid has been abandoned because of budgetary problems and relatively unimportant to the domestic industry. the perception the public does not favor foreign That is especially the case for an industry like aid is one of those seminal moments where the imflour milling that at one time in the post-World pact is so far-reaching, domestically and in foreign War II period counted on food aid for significant affairs, that any negatives for a single American business. The current outlook for aid is so dire industry are easily overlooked. that even dreaming about reviving this potential Even as U.S. aid has shrunk, with the Commodifor an important American industry like milling is ty Credit Corp. spending less than a billion dollars ill-advised. But the potential is there and it needs annually on food purchases for shipment abroad, addressing. the United States still is the leading supplier of The urgent need for maintaining and even ex- food aid. While wheat continues to be the major panding food aid stems from the way food short- product shipped, an increasing share of relief is ages have caused political higher-value, processed The current outlook for aid is so dire and social distress. This is products. It was milling that even dreaming about reviving this so in the Horn of Africa, many years ago that took potential for an important American due to drought and banthe lead in this initiative, industry like milling is ill-advised. ditry, in the Arab nations helping to establish a role bordering the Mediterranean Sea, which have ex- for bulgur and compound products like wheat-soy perienced toppling of dictatorial regimes, and in blend. Just as the program now faces a diminished nations like Afghanistan and Iraq where normalcy budget, the focus has begun to shift to “Ready-tohas given way to military conflict. Millions of peo- Use Therapeutic Foods” (called RUTFs), with the ple in these lands do not have enough food. Ac- first of these a fortified peanut paste to help “feed cording to the United Nations, the total number of and treat” hungry children in the Horn of Africa. people in poverty in the Asia-Pacific region alone Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, in anis 19 million, a figure that supposedly reflects the nouncing the peanut product, noted that this proway that sharp gains in food prices cut back on gram supports U.S. jobs while providing a highly food availability. nutritious food to starving people. He said, “Our For the United States, its lead in providing food efforts to support food security are critically imaid was a proud banner for most of the 20th cen- portant to a more stable world.” This is a hugely tury. It was the generosity and the strategy of the significant issue that needs making as food aid Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance faces a severe budget axe. It’s no mistake that P.L. Act of 1954, or P.L. 480, enacted at the urging of 480 is still known as Food for Peace. This program, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that caused food one of the proudest and most successful of Ameriaid to take off to the point that at one time it was can achievements in the past century, needs to be a central force in flour demand. Food aid volumes counted as essential to peace for America and the have fluctuated sharply, reaching their nadir in world. MBN MORTON SOSLAND, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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