U.S. food aid: Charity begins at home. More than 60 years after the U.S. Food for Peace program was launched, vested interests continue to hinder reforms to allow for more local sourcing of food aid.

The owners of US ships responsible for delivering food aid are now in line to receive millions of dollars in new subsidies as a result of proposed reform, news reports say. Under current law, almost all American food aid – worth around $1.8 billion in 2014 – must be purchased in the United States, and at least half of it must be transported on US-flagged vessels, a combination that costs 25-50 percent more than on the open market.