Emergency Food Assistance: USAID Durban Warehouses Were Generally in Good Condition, but Limited Storage Gaps May Increase the Risk of Contamination or Spoilage

Why We Did This InspectionUSAID stored millions of dollars in food aid and emergency non-food items in warehouses around the world as part of its responsibility to lead and coordinate the U.S. government’s disaster assistance efforts overseas. The food aid included shelf-stable items to prevent and treat malnutrition and to rapidly address crises around the world. According to USAID, the prepositioned warehouses decreased the amount of time it took to deliver food aid by an average of 3 months. On January 20, 2025, the administration initiated a pause and review of all U.S. foreign assistance, including USAID programs. On March 28, 2025, the Department of State announced that USAID would cease operating as an independent agency. As of July 1, 2025, USAID food assistance programs transferred to the Department of State. We conducted inspections of USAID warehouses storing food aid in three locations: Durban, South Africa; Djibouti City, Djibouti; and Houston, Texas, to determine the status of food aid remaining. For this inspection of the Durban warehouses, we examined the (1) characteristics of food aid in the warehouses and (2) food aid storage and inventory conditions. The scope of the inspection was food aid stored as of June 20, 2025.What We FoundUSAID stored over $4 million in vegetable oil and sorghum in the Durban warehouses. At the time of our inspection in June 2025, USAID had allocated the vegetable oil for shipment to a specific country and a food aid provider but not the sorghum, which accounted for about 92 percent of the total value of food aid. By September 2025, the warehouse contractor reported that the vegetable oil and sorghum had been distributed. Durban food aid storage and inventory conditions generally met contractual requirements. For example, we observed adequate security systems, equipment and materials to respond to fires, and traps for pest control. Furthermore, we observed minimal inventory discrepancies when we compared the food aid present in the two warehouses to the USAID inventory report. However, there were instances of deviations from contract requirements, such as vegetable oil stored near batteries, food with dust and damaged packaging, and bird droppings. While these instances were limited, any deviations from contractual requirements for storage conditions may compromise food aid and increase the risk of contamination or spoilage. This could result in a waste of U.S. funds spent to purchase the aid and for other associated costs. What We RecommendWe suggest that responsible officials at the Department of State require the Durban warehouse contractor to address deviations from contractual requirements for food aid storage.