Food for Peace: USDA Oversight

A 50-pound bag of Kansas wheat stamped with an American flag may not look like foreign policy. But in a crisis zone, it is. It’s a symbol of U.S. leadership, a lifeline for displaced populations, families and a direct connection between American farmers and global stability.

For more than 70 years, Food for Peace has proven a simple truth: the U.S. can fight hunger, strengthen peace and support its own producers at the same time. Kansas wheat farmers believe that mission is worth protecting and that the program must stay true to its roots.

Food for Peace, also known as Public Law 480, was signed into law in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Kansas native. It was built on a simple Kansas idea: use America’s agricultural abundance to fight hunger, promote peace and support U.S. farmers.

U.S.-grown wheat has remained an important commodity for humanitarian food assistance. Wheat is shelf-stable, nutritionally dense and culturally adaptable across regions, making wheat one of the most reliable ingredients in emergency food aid. Kansas farmers have long viewed the program as one of the strongest examples of how U.S. agriculture can serve both global needs and long-term market development.

That visibility matters. In agriculture, Food for Peace has often been described as “goodwill in a bag” because American food aid carries more than calories. It carries a symbol of generosity, reliability and leadership that can shape diplomatic relationships and demand.

“For decades, the Food for Peace program has embodied the best of American leadership — delivering life-sustaining food around the world while supporting U.S. farmers at home,” said Sam Kieffer, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers.

But in recent years, the volume of U.S.-grown wheat used in Food for Peace has declined. This isn’t because U.S. farmers can’t supply quality grain. It’s because policy decisions have allowed purchases of non-U.S. commodities and increased local and regional procurement. In some cases, U.S. taxpayer dollars are used to buy food from foreign competitors, which undermines American farmers and their strategic interests.

This month, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached an interagency agreement, allowing USDA to operate the Food for Peace program.

This transition marks an important structural shift for U.S. international food assistance. The administration of Food for Peace is set to move from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the USDA, bringing oversight closer to farmers, commodity supply chains and the infrastructure that makes in-kind food aid possible.

“Having USDA manage Food for Peace strengthens the program’s stability, ensures continued market opportunities for American grown crops, and safeguards in-kind food aid for the people around the world who need it most,” Kieffer said. “While this agreement provides near-term certainty, we call on Congress to pass H.R. 1207 and S. 525 to permanently transfer Food for Peace to USDA.”

For Kansas wheat farmers, USDA’s operational expertise makes it the natural home for Food for Peace. The program depends on commodities, transportation systems and reliable supply chains, and USDA is equipped to manage those responsibilities with accountability to the producers and rural communities that support the U.S. food system.

“Kansas wheat farmers have championed keeping the food in U.S. food aid and international market development programs since Food for Peace began,” said Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin. “This program expands efforts of trade promotion and U.S. wheat exports and positions the U.S. as a global leader to provide food assistance to address food security needs.”

Food for Peace has remained one of the nation’s most recognized food aid programs for more than 70 years. The program is strongest when it stays aligned with its original mission: using American crops to meet humanitarian needs, while strengthening U.S. agriculture, rural economies and America’s leadership around the world.

“Food for Peace started in Kansas, with Kansas wheat, under a Kansas president … and it should stay true to that mission,” said Gilpin.