The United States has lifted its suspension on food donations, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed, ending a pause that had left 500,000 metric tons of food, either already at sea or ready for shipment, in limbo.
“We can confirm that the recent pause on in-kind food assistance to WFP—food purchased from U.S. farmers using Title II funds—has been lifted,” the WFP said in an X post on Sunday. “This allows for the resumption of food purchases and deliveries under existing USAID agreements.”
The U.S. had halted purchases of food produced by American farmers for donation, with the exception of emergency aid, after President Donald Trump paused all foreign aid for 90 days to review whether contributions aligned with his “America First” foreign policy.
Additionally, Washington had instructed the WFP to cease work on numerous U.S.-funded grants, a directive received five days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver for emergency food assistance.
Many of the grants that were suspended were part of the Food for Peace Title II program, which allocates approximately $2 billion annually for U.S. food donations.
The program, which is co-managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development, represents the majority of U.S. international food aid.
