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Better Nutrition and Quality Control

Can Further ImproveU.S. Food Aid

Better Nutrition and Quality Control

Can Further ImproveU.S. Food Aid

For the full report, visit the GAO Web site, www.gao.gov (GAO-11-491, May 12, 2011).

International Food Aid and Development ConferenceKansas City, Missouri June 27-29, 2011�

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Objectives

• meet the nutritional needs of intended recipients, and

• maintain the quality of commodities throughout the food aid supply chain.

Assess efforts of U.S. food aid programs to

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Background:Illustrative Example of the U.S. Food Aid Supply Chain

Source: GAO

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Objective 1: U.S. Food Aid for Short-Term Emergencies May Not Be Adequate for Protracted Crises

• U.S. food aid for general distribution provides essential life-saving calories and nutrients

• However, it is not always adequate during protracted crises

• When food is not nutritionally varied, recipients can develop serious micronutrient deficiencies, especially during prolonged

emergencies

Source: GAO presentation of USAID data.

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Objective 1: New Products Are Specially Formulated to Meet the Nutritional Needs of the Most Vulnerable Groups, but These Products Are Costly

Trade-offs between the costs of more nutritious products and the number of people served within a fixed program budget.

Type of product ProductCost of product per daily ration or

dose

Grain-based representative rations

Representative complementary ration

$0.019 and $0.05

CSB-based rations

CSB 0.06–0.12

CSB+ 0.08–0.16

CSB++ 0.24

Micronutrient powdersMicronutrient powder—15

vitamins and minerals0.03

MixMe Plus™ 0.04

Nutritional supplements Nutributter® 0.11

Ready-to-use supplementary foods

High energy biscuits 0.12

RUFC India 0.13

Plumpy’Doz® 0.20

Supplementary’ Plumpy® 0.33

Ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)

Plumpy’Nut® 0.41

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• Insufficient tracking of nutritional outcomes,

• Inconsistent use of needs assessments, and

• Sharing practices.

Recipients Sharing CSB in EthiopiaSource: GAO.

Objective 1: U.S. Agencies and Implementing Partners Face Difficulties in Targeting Specialized Food Products to Intended Recipients

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Objective 2: Quality of U.S. Food Aid Has Improved Due in Part to USDA’s Renewed Quality Assurance ActivitiesPercentage of CSB Samples that Did Not Meet Microbial Specifications for Food Safety, First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 through First Quarter of Fiscal Year

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Objective 2: Quality Problems Still Occasionally Arise and Can Be Time-Consuming and Costly to Resolve

• Bitter CSB

• Rodent infestation

• CSB contamination

Source: GAO.

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U.S. agencies do not systematically track key quality indicators throughout the supply chain

• Quality problems that do not result in a loss (e.g., high moisture content or low vitamin fortification levels)

• Shipping and delivery times

Objective 2: U.S. Agencies Do Not Systematically Track Data on Quality

Source: GAO.

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Objective 2: Food Packaging May Not Be Sufficiently Durable for Rugged Conditions Encountered throughout the Supply Chain

Source: GAO.

•Packaging remains one of the biggest quality problems

•Performance language for packaging durability has not been updated in 10 years

•Reconstituting damaged packaging may introduce quality problems

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(1) For food aid that is the sole source of diet for recipients of emergency programs that extend beyond a year, provide guidance to implementing partners on how to address nutritional deficiencies that may emerge

(2) For new specialized food products designed to meet the nutritional needs of the most vulnerable groups, evaluate the products’ performance and cost-effectiveness in achieving their nutritional goals in an appropriate program setting

(3) Provide guidance on whether and how best to use new specialized food products, including guidance on targeting strategies to ensure that the products reach their intended recipients

Recommendations: Nutrition

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(1) Strengthen agencies’ monitoring of commodity quality by identifying and systematically tracking key quality indicators to determine the full extent of quality problems, including emerging concerns, throughout the supply chain

(2) Evaluate packaging specifications to ensure food packaging is sufficiently durable for conditions encountered throughout the supply chain

Recommendations: Quality Control

USAID and USDA concurred with our recommendations