Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Photo | Food stocks from WFP Twitter photo
(ERGO) - Media reports last week have shown Somali officials at Mogadishu airport authority impounding sacks of expired maize and lentils that they claim were destined for distribution in Somalia by the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP has denied distributing or storing in its custody any expired food and says it is investigating the episode.
Radio Ergo interviewed WFP spokesperson Laila Ali and asked her first what the organization had to say about the allegations. The interview is transcribed below:
WFP: The World Food Programme wishes to clarify information regarding the seizure of food in Mogadishu on Monday 13 June. WFP has been working closely with local authorities to clear up and resolve this unfortunate misunderstanding. The badly damaged food displayed at the airport this week had not been in WFP’s possession since mid-May.
In May and June, authorities have seized relatively small amounts WFP food at the Mogadishu airport following anonymous and incorrect reports that it had expired. At the time of its confiscation, none of the food in question had passed its expiration date, and none of it showed any signs of damage or rot. However, since it was removed from WFP custody, the condition of some of the food seized in May appears to have deteriorated badly during the month, probably due to exposure to torrential rain and sunlight.
Ergo: Where exactly was the food seized? Was it about to be loaded for airlift? How long had it been stored there?
WFP: Food was seized at the airport twice – once in mid-May and once in mid-June. Both times, it was in good condition and not expired at the time it left WFP’s custody. We believe that the badly damaged and inedible food shown at the airport was from the consignment confiscated in mid-May. It appears to have deteriorated badly, probably due to exposure to rainwater and sunlight, but was not in WFP’s possession since mid-May so we are not able to confirm the conditions under which it has been stored. We would never distribute food in that condition.
Ergo: The local authority has said the food is rotten and unfit for human consumption. Is that true?
WFP: The food was in good condition when it was in WFP’s possession. It is clear that some of the food seized in mid-May has deteriorated badly since then, but this food was not under WFP’s possession since mid-May. WFP would never distribute food that is damaged or past its expiration date. The well-being of people we serve is a top priority and we take every possible measure to see that the food we distribute meets the highest standards of quality and safety.
Ergo: Pictures we have seen show sacks of rotten grain. Are these the same sacks of food WFP was to distribute to people facing food shortage in Gedo region?
WFP: All the food we distribute in Somalia – and the world – meets the highest international standards for safety and quality. The pictures appear to show food that was seized last month, which may have been stored outdoors where it was exposed to sunlight and rain and prompting a sharp deterioration in its condition. However, the food was not in WFP’s possession during this time.
Ergo: How long had the food been in the warehouses?
WFP: WFP stores food in optimal conditions in its main warehouse elsewhere in the city, and temporarily keeps smaller quantities in containers at the airport for relatively short periods of time. The damaged food shown in the video had not been in WFP’s custody for nearly a month.
Ergo: What might have gone wrong on this occasion?
WFP: We are working with the local authorities to investigate and will share more information once available.
Ergo: Aljazeera TV has shown pictures of other aid items such as biscuits and cooking oil with just days left before expiry. Has this food also been impounded?
WFP: WFP only dispatches food within its proper usage period. A best-before date that includes only the month and year refers to the last day of the month, not the first. So all of the food shown in the video had well over a month before it reached its best-before date. In addition, it is hard to tell whether the vegetable oil in the video was seized this month or last month, so it is possible that the vegetable oil shown with a best before date at the end of July had been intended for distribution in May, with several months of shelf life left.