Possible World Trade Organization controls on donations of food must permit enough to get through to hungry people around the world, the head of the U.N. World Food Program said this week.
WFP chief James Morris said food aid should be controlled so that it does not distort global trade by affecting local production or imports. But he also said rich countries should make a commitment to give a combined minimum of 12 million tons of food every year, regardless if market prices.
The amount of food donated plummeted by almost a third last year, to just 8.3 million tons, according to WFP.
The issue of food aid is part of WTO negotiations on liberalizing global farm trade, which has proven to be one of the main stumbling blocks to a new accord.