Subtitle: “…the world’s richest nation couldn’t organise a p**s up in a brewery…”

I’m not sure which is worse: Declining the generous offers of aid made by nations to the US, or accepting the generous offers of aid, and then not letting any of it reach the affected people.

I just read this (via Steve Gilliard and on Drudge), Tons of British aid donated to help Hurricane Katrina victims to be BURNED by Americans.

Aid workers are livid.

(More below the fold)

The aid worker, who would not be named, said: “This is the most appalling act of sickening senselessness while people starve.

“The FDA has recalled aid from Britain because it has been condemned as unfit for human consumption, despite the fact that these are Nato approved rations of exactly the same type fed to British soldiers in Iraq.

“Under Nato, American soldiers are also entitled to eat such rations, yet the starving of the American South will see them go up in smoke because of FDA red tape madness.”

The worker added: “There will be a cloud of smoke above Little Rock soon – of burned food, of anger and of shame that the world’s richest nation couldn’t organise a p**s up in a brewery and lets Americans starve while they arrogantly observe petty regulations.

“Everyone is revolted by the chaotic shambles the US is making of this crisis. Guys from Unicef are walking around spitting blood.

“This is utter madness. People have worked their socks off to get food into the region.

“It is perfectly good Nato approved food of the type British servicemen have. Yet the FDA are saying that because there is a meat content and it has come from Britain it must be destroyed.

“If they are trying to argue there is a BSE reason then that is ludicrously out of date. There is more BSE in the States than there ever was in Britain and UK meat has been safe for years.”

And remember, it’s not just the food that is being wasted. The rations and their delivery has cost the British people millions in tax dollars. Food from Spain and Italy is also being held.

The food rations sent from Britain are detailed in this story, What’s in emergency ration packs?


1 French onion soup; 2 Hot chocolate; 3 Savoury biscuits; 4 Milk chocolate; 5 Tissues; 6 Cooked rice; 7 Boiled sweets; 8 Fruit biscuits; 9 Chewing gum; 10 Chicken pate; 11 Orange drink powder; 12 Curried lamb; 13 Fruit dumplings in custard; 14 Bacon and beans; 15 Condiments; 16 Hot pepper sauce

Each pack contains up to 4,000 calories – the recommended daily consumption is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men – and is “designed to feed a young man aged 18 to 30 who has been involved in active operational duty,” says Brian Sheehan of the Defence Logistics Organisation.

“You’re looking at them getting a massive energy burst.”

Yes, I’m sure that the people will be so happy that the government is looking out for their best interests in this fashion. I mean, the food that has been sitting on store shelves since the hurricane hit, and the food scavanged among the water/sludge is much more fit for human consumption.

And, it’s not like … insulting or anything, to accept someone’s gift and then throw it in the trash before they’ve even left the party!

September 24, folks. September 24.

Update [2005-9-20 22:16:43 by olivia]: When I posted this diary, it was early this morning, and a quick google at that time didn’t bring up any additional links to this story. I just did another google on the story, and found a few more links. The Times-Picayune has posted a story in reponse to the Mirror article, British MREs held up in Arkansas for mad cow regulations. According to the TP article, Little Rock AFB is the ‘hub’ for international aid. They have received 1842 tons of goods from dozens of countries. It doesn’t say how much of that has been delivered though.

On the rations, they provide a statement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson Terri Teuber,

“We have an obligation to hold the food we’re distributing to evacuees to the same standards we maintain for all Americans on a daily basis,” Agriculture Department spokeswoman Terri Teuber said. “We are not saying these MREs are unfit or unsafe. We’re saying they don’t meet the importation standards, and they are being set aside.” (emphasis mine)

Okay. Can someone w/ more knowledge explain what that bolded part means. They’re not saying that the rations are unfit or unsafe according to the spokesperson, but they’re not fit for human consumption. Really confused here.

And my next question was, if BSE is the concern, isn’t there some way to remove the pkgs w/ meat and beef product from the pack? The photo I posted above shows each item wrapped individually.

And … sure enough if you read a little further, according to yet another spokesperson, Army Major Paul Swiergosz, Defense Department,

When the food is needed it is easy to separate from other products because the meals are in divided pouches, Swiergosz said.

There are a million spokespeople. No wonder nobody knows what is going on. This is how they’ll get away with it all. Too many people. No one person is accountable. Circle. Circle. Circle.

Also, a good historical source of info on the international and national aid, are the Wikipedia entries:

International response to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina disaster relief