US burns 500 tons of food meant for starving children
Humanitarian aid warehouse (Getty Images)
Donald Trump's administration ordered the destruction of nearly 500 tons of emergency food supplies that could have fed 1.5 million children in crisis regions, according to The Atlantic.
The food was stored in a warehouse in Dubai and was intended as humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and Pakistan, but due to a new US policy, the shipment was never sent.
What kind of food and who it was for
The shipment consisted of high-calorie, nutrient-rich biscuits designed for children under the age of five. The biscuits were purchased for $800,000 and are typically distributed to areas affected by natural disasters or armed conflict.
Since January 2025, USAID staff had been unable to obtain clearance to ship the supplies. In April, the US fully suspended aid to Afghanistan and Yemen, citing concerns over "supporting terrorists." However, the shipment could have been redirected to other regions, such as Sudan, which is currently facing a major humanitarian crisis.
Why the food was destroyed
Due to UAE regulations, expired food cannot even be donated to animals. As a result, the destruction of the supplies will cost US taxpayers an additional $130,000.
According to USAID officials, this is the first time in the history of American humanitarian assistance that such a large quantity of food has been deliberately incinerated. In the past, food losses were typically caused by natural disasters or armed conflicts — not by policy decisions.
The UN estimates that 58 million people are currently on the brink of famine. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of boxes of food are sitting in US warehouses, beginning to spoil. Manufacturers are no longer receiving new orders, and the government's logistical capacity is depleted.
Previously, RBC-Ukraine reported that the US is shutting down USAID assistance programs. Moving forward, all foreign aid will be administered by the State Department under new rules. The official reasons include inefficiency, funding of entities linked to Hamas, and growing anti-American sentiment.
Under the new approach, all aid will be delivered under the American flag and solely in alignment with US interests. According to research, the shutdown of USAID's grant-based programs could result in more than 14 million deaths in low-income countries.
