food products rather than whole grains that are most easily
fortified.
Thus, commodities provided in general distribution
food aid fall short of meeting the nutrition needs of many,
including pregnant and lactating women, small children,
and people with compromised health. This is especially
problematic in chronic food shortage emergencies—where
food aid is the main source of nutrition for more than a year.
These chronic situations are common—in fact, more than
half of the emergency food aid provided by the United States
is distributed in multi-year programs.10
Most Recipient Countries are Multi-Year Participants
in Food Aid Programs
Emergency food aid delivered in 2010 to countries that received
food aid for 4 or more years, between fiscal years 2006 to 2010*
3.7%
2 to 3
years
96.1%
4 or more
years
*Percentages in the pie chart are based on the