Abstract
As part of US Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to improve the quality of food aid products and programs, a two year study was commissioned to produce recommendations on ways to improve the quality of food aid products, programming, and institutional processes. The review determined that while much valuable work is done in both emergencies and non-emergency contexts, there is scope for improvement. Smarter programming, more careful targeting, greater attention to cost-effectiveness (in relation to planned human outcomes, not just numbers of people “fed”), enhanced coordination of interagency processes, enhanced policy harmonization among international players, and application of best practices in product formulation can help increase the impact of U.S. food aid resources.