- In July 2025, a rumor started spreading based on a report in The Atlantic, claiming that the U.S. Department of State was about to destroy $800,000 worth of high-energy biscuits intended for children suffering from malnutrition, at a cost of $130,000, resulting in a total cost of $1 million for U.S. taxpayers.
- The State Department confirmed in an emailed statement that it had ordered the incineration of the food, stored in a Dubai warehouse.
- It added that this situation was "not unique," although the Atlantic report cited "several aid workers" (unnamed) who directly contradicted this assertion, saying they had "never before seen the U.S. government simply give up on food that could have been put to good use."
- newsrealtimereached out to the State Department for clarification on this point and will update this report should we receive a response.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was set to incinerate nearly 500 metric tons (550 imperial tons) of emergency food intended for starving children, according to a rumor that spread online in July 2025.
For example, a post on X relayed the claim, adding that the story was "a tremendous metaphor" for the Trump administration because it was setting "a million dollars up in smoke" ( archived ):
As of this writing, the post had garnered 32,400 views and 2,000 likes. The claim further spread on X, including one post by Rep. Pramila Jayapal ( archived ), a Democrat from the state of Washington. It also appeared on Reddit and Facebook , in a post by Robert Reich, an economist and former secretary of labor under former President Bill Clinton.
In addition, several news real-time readers searched the site and emailed, seeking to confirm the veracity of the rumor. "Is [the] Trump administration incinerating 500 tons of emergency food intended for children rather than distributing?" one wrote.
Indeed, several prominent news outlets had relayed the rumor, including Rolling Stone , The Daily Beast and Gizmodo .
The rumor stemmed from a report in The Atlantic that cited anonymous sources within the U.S. government. It did not mention which part of the government employed these sources. We contacted the White House, which referred us to the State Department. The Department of State, under which USAID operated, confirmed that this food was indeed intended for incineration.
" Unfortunately, this risk is part of always being ready to respond to life-saving humanitarian needs with consumable commodities in remote locations around the world," a department spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "USAID has had to destroy commodities under previous administrations with similar circumstances - this is not unique.
Citing these sources, the report said these high-energy biscuits Were in storage at a warehouse in Dubai, a city and emirate of the United Arab Emirates. The administration of former President Joe Biden had acquired the nutrient-rich biscuits to distribute to children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to The Atlantic. The biscuits, which could have fed 1.5 million malnourished children for one week, had cost $800,000, the sources reportedly told The Atlantic, and their incineration would cost another $130,000, bringing the total bill to nearly $1 million.
The food expired on July 16, 2025, the report said. It had been stored in Dubai for months as staffing and funding cuts prevented USAID , the agency that acquired it, from distributing it.
However, contrary to the assertion by the Department of State that this situation was not unique, The Atlantic's report suggested it was unprecedented. "Several of the aid workers," the reporter said, "reiterated that they have never before seen the U.S. government simply give up on food that could have been put to good use." NewsRealTime contacted the State Department asking them to respond to this point.
While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified In a congressional hearing on May 21, 2025, it was reported that the food would be distributed. The Atlantic reported that its sources said the order to incinerate the food had already been given by that date.
High-energy biscuits are a type of food that humanitarian and rescue efforts use as an immediate treatment for malnutrition during famines. They are highly caloric and provide essential nutrients, which makes them a temporary solution to help prevent the severe consequences of hunger while crises continue.
We will update this report if more details emerge.
Sources:
Deng, Grace. "What to Know about Trump, Musk and the Dismantling of USAID." newsrealtime , newsrealtime, 5 Feb. 2025, www.newsrealtime/news/2025/02/05/trump-elon-musk-dismantling-usaid . Accessed July 16, 2025.
Kiros, Hana. "The Atlantic." The Atlantic , theatlantic, 15 July 2025, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/07/usaid-emergency-food-incinerate-trump/683532/ . Accessed July 16, 2025.
Madarang, Charisma. "Trump Administration to Set Fire to 500 Tons of Food Aid." Rolling Stone , July 15, 2025, www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-administration-destroy-500-tons-emergency-food-1235386525/ . Accessed July 16, 2025.
Ropek, Lucas. "The White House Has a Plan for All That Foreign Food Aid That DOGE Cut: Burn It." Gizmodo , 15 July 2025, gizmodo.com/the-white-house-has-a-plan-for-all-that-foreign-food-aid-that-doge-cut-burn-it-2000629489. Accessed 16 July 2025.
Sanders, Tom. "Trump Administration to Incinerate 550 Tons of Emergency Food Meant for Children." The Daily Beast , July 15, 2025, www.thedailybeast.com/trump-admin-to-incinerate-500-tons-of-emergency-food-for-children/ . Accessed July 16, 2025.
"What WFP Delivers: High-Energy Biscuits - World Food Program USA." World Food Program USA , September 23, 2017, www.wfpusa.org/news/what-wfp-delivers-high-energy-biscuits/ . Accessed July 16, 2025.
U.S. Department of State. "Secretary Rubio Testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee - 10:00AM." YouTube , May 21, 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAGqh7jvyus . Accessed July 16, 2025.
Budget Hearing - Department of State and Related Programs. House Committee on Appropriations - Republicans , May 13, 2025, appropriations.house.gov/schedule/hearings/budget-hearing-department-state-and-related-programs. Accessed July 16, 2025.
Updates:
July 16, 2025: This report was updated to include a response from the U.S. Department of State, which confirmed it had ordered the food to be incinerated.
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