Latest news with #USAID-branded
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
International Planned Parenthood condemns plan to burn US-funded contraceptives
FILE PHOTO: A view of a warehouse of Kuehne+Nagel, which houses U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million, after the U.S. State Department confirmed that the stocks would be sent to France to be destroyed, in Geel, Belgium July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marta Fiorin/File Photo BRUSSELS - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) on Friday condemned a plan to incinerate U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million in France, a move reported by Reuters earlier this week. The supplies, including contraceptive implants and pills, have been sitting for months in a warehouse in Geel, a city in Belgium's Antwerp province, after President Donald Trump froze U.S. foreign aid in January. They are now being sent to France for destruction. IPPF called on the French, Belgian and U.S. governments to find a way to save the contraceptives, and on the French company that would be responsible for the destruction "to reconsider its role". "This is an intentional act of reproductive coercion," it said in a statement. Washington has previously said it did not want any USAID-branded supplies, like the ones in Belgium, to be rerouted elsewhere. A source with knowledge of the issue told Reuters that the Trump administration was acting in accordance with the Mexico City policy, an anti-abortion pact in which Trump reinstated U.S. participation in January. The State Department also told Reuters that related concerns about the end-destination of the contraceptives were factors in the decision. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Career setbacks among challenges raised by those seeking fertility help in S'pore: Survey Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly The IPPF said it had offered to collect the products, transport and repack them and to distribute the products onwards to women in need across the globe - "all at no cost to the US government" - but that the offer was rejected by the U.S. government. REUTERS
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USAID reinstates contracts for Georgia company that helps feed malnourished kids after Elon Musk responds to CNN reporting
The CEO of a plant in Georgia that makes a special peanut butter paste for severely malnourished children around the world told CNN that his company's contracts with the US Agency for International Development that had been abruptly canceled last week were all reinstated late Sunday night. Mark Moore, the founder MANA Nutrition, shared screenshots of the rescinded contract termination notifications with CNN on Sunday. 'Thrilled,' he said in response to the news. He also told CNN that he was working to quickly start using USAID-labeled pouches in production again: 'It's a yo-yo. I just texted the factory and told them to switch back to USAID packaging as of midnight.' The development came after Elon Musk said on social media earlier Sunday in response to CNN's previous reporting about the terminated USAID contracts that he would 'investigate' and 'fix it.' MANA's canceled contracts had been the result of the Trump administration's drastic efforts to slim down the federal government led by Musk, who leads a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. Moore's company makes a special kind of peanut butter paste — a type of RUTF ('Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods') — that many humanitarian aid workers are familiar with. It is fortified with milk and essential vitamins, packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world, including some countries in Africa. USAID has historically supported and funded the development and distribution of RUTF products over the years. On Wednesday afternoon, Moore got word from USAID that MANA's contracts with the agency were being canceled. CNN spoke with Moore just minutes after he said he received a series of contract termination letters from USAID. One of his first orders of business was asking his workers mid-production to immediately stop putting labels that say 'USAID' on the pouches that the peanut butter paste is squirted into. He said without contracts with the agency, he would not be allowed to distribute any products bearing the agency's name. The back-and-forth is just one of the many aftershocks of the Trump administration's rapid decimation of USAID, which has suffered more severely than almost any other agency across the government. Thousands of positions at the federal agency have been eliminated and the vast majority of its officials have been placed on leave. Contracts are being canceled left and right, leaving many in the humanitarian aid world reeling. In normal times, Moore's plant produces 10 pouches of the lifesaving paste every second. Each small bag contains 500 calories' worth of the special peanut butter — which does not require refrigeration or additional preparation. In their warehouse, Moore said last week, there were around 400,000 boxes of USAID-branded RUTF ready to be shipped out. He estimated that if USAID didn't pay MANA for those boxes, he would have at least $10 million in wasted peanut butter pouches on his hands. And that didn't include an additional $14 million in reimbursements from the federal government that he was already waiting for. Erin Boyd, a USAID nutrition adviser who was laid off from the agency in January, told CNN it was not an overstatement to say that children would die as a result of the decimation of USAID and funding for RUTF. 'Even before this happened, there wasn't enough funding to treat all the children who were presenting wasting.' Boyd said. Wasting, according to UNICEF, refers to a life-threatening form of malnutrition: 'Children with wasting are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death,' the group says.
CNN
03-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
USAID reinstates contracts for Georgia company that helps feed malnourished kids after Elon Musk responds to CNN reporting
The CEO of a plant in Georgia that makes a special peanut butter paste for severely malnourished children around the world told CNN that his company's contracts with the US Agency for International Development that had been abruptly canceled last week were all reinstated late Sunday night. Mark Moore, the founder MANA Nutrition, shared screenshots of the rescinded contract termination notifications with CNN on Sunday. 'Thrilled,' he said in response to the news. He also told CNN that he was working to quickly start using USAID-labeled pouches in production again: 'It's a yo-yo. I just texted the factory and told them to switch back to USAID packaging as of midnight.' The development came after Elon Musk said on social media earlier Sunday in response to CNN's previous reporting about the terminated USAID contracts that he would 'investigate' and 'fix it.' MANA's canceled contracts had been the result of the Trump administration's drastic efforts to slim down the federal government led by Musk, who leads a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. Moore's company makes a special kind of peanut butter paste — a type of RUTF ('Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods') — that many humanitarian aid workers are familiar with. It is fortified with milk and essential vitamins, packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world, including some countries in Africa. USAID has historically supported and funded the development and distribution of RUTF products over the years. On Wednesday afternoon, Moore got word from USAID that MANA's contracts with the agency were being canceled. CNN spoke with Moore just minutes after he said he received a series of contract termination letters from USAID. One of his first orders of business was asking his workers mid-production to immediately stop putting labels that say 'USAID' on the pouches that the peanut butter paste is squirted into. He said without contracts with the agency, he would not be allowed to distribute any products bearing the agency's name. The back-and-forth is just one of the many aftershocks of the Trump administration's rapid decimation of USAID, which has suffered more severely than almost any other agency across the government. Thousands of positions at the federal agency have been eliminated and the vast majority of its officials have been placed on leave. Contracts are being canceled left and right, leaving many in the humanitarian aid world reeling. In normal times, Moore's plant produces 10 pouches of the lifesaving paste every second. Each small bag contains 500 calories' worth of the special peanut butter — which does not require refrigeration or additional preparation. In their warehouse, Moore said last week, there were around 400,000 boxes of USAID-branded RUTF ready to be shipped out. He estimated that if USAID didn't pay MANA for those boxes, he would have at least $10 million in wasted peanut butter pouches on his hands. And that didn't include an additional $14 million in reimbursements from the federal government that he was already waiting for. Erin Boyd, a USAID nutrition adviser who was laid off from the agency in January, told CNN it was not an overstatement to say that children would die as a result of the decimation of USAID and funding for RUTF. 'Even before this happened, there wasn't enough funding to treat all the children who were presenting wasting.' Boyd said. Wasting, according to UNICEF, refers to a life-threatening form of malnutrition: 'Children with wasting are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death,' the group says.
CNN
03-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
USAID reinstates contracts for Georgia company that helps feed malnourished kids after Elon Musk responds to CNN reporting
The CEO of a plant in Georgia that makes a special peanut butter paste for severely malnourished children around the world told CNN that his company's contracts with the US Agency for International Development that had been abruptly canceled last week were all reinstated late Sunday night. Mark Moore, the founder MANA Nutrition, shared screenshots of the rescinded contract termination notifications with CNN on Sunday. 'Thrilled,' he said in response to the news. He also told CNN that he was working to quickly start using USAID-labeled pouches in production again: 'It's a yo-yo. I just texted the factory and told them to switch back to USAID packaging as of midnight.' The development came after Elon Musk said on social media earlier Sunday in response to CNN's previous reporting about the terminated USAID contracts that he would 'investigate' and 'fix it.' MANA's canceled contracts had been the result of the Trump administration's drastic efforts to slim down the federal government led by Musk, who leads a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency. Moore's company makes a special kind of peanut butter paste — a type of RUTF ('Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods') — that many humanitarian aid workers are familiar with. It is fortified with milk and essential vitamins, packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world, including some countries in Africa. USAID has historically supported and funded the development and distribution of RUTF products over the years. On Wednesday afternoon, Moore got word from USAID that MANA's contracts with the agency were being canceled. CNN spoke with Moore just minutes after he said he received a series of contract termination letters from USAID. One of his first orders of business was asking his workers mid-production to immediately stop putting labels that say 'USAID' on the pouches that the peanut butter paste is squirted into. He said without contracts with the agency, he would not be allowed to distribute any products bearing the agency's name. The back-and-forth is just one of the many aftershocks of the Trump administration's rapid decimation of USAID, which has suffered more severely than almost any other agency across the government. Thousands of positions at the federal agency have been eliminated and the vast majority of its officials have been placed on leave. Contracts are being canceled left and right, leaving many in the humanitarian aid world reeling. In normal times, Moore's plant produces 10 pouches of the lifesaving paste every second. Each small bag contains 500 calories' worth of the special peanut butter — which does not require refrigeration or additional preparation. In their warehouse, Moore said last week, there were around 400,000 boxes of USAID-branded RUTF ready to be shipped out. He estimated that if USAID didn't pay MANA for those boxes, he would have at least $10 million in wasted peanut butter pouches on his hands. And that didn't include an additional $14 million in reimbursements from the federal government that he was already waiting for. Erin Boyd, a USAID nutrition adviser who was laid off from the agency in January, told CNN it was not an overstatement to say that children would die as a result of the decimation of USAID and funding for RUTF. 'Even before this happened, there wasn't enough funding to treat all the children who were presenting wasting.' Boyd said. Wasting, according to UNICEF, refers to a life-threatening form of malnutrition: 'Children with wasting are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death,' the group says.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USAID reinstates contracts for Georgia company that helps feed malnourished kids after Elon Musk responds to CNN reporting
The CEO of a plant in Georgia that makes a special peanut butter paste for severely malnourished children around the world told CNN Sunday that his company's contracts with the US Agency for International Development that had been abruptly canceled last week were all reinstated late Sunday night. Mark Moore, the founder MANA Nutrition, shared screenshots of the rescinded contract termination notifications with CNN. 'Thrilled,' he said in response to the news. He also told CNN that he was working to quickly start using USAID-labeled pouches in production again: 'It's a yo-yo. I just texted the factory and told them to switch back to USAID packaging as of midnight.' The development came after Elon Musk said on social media earlier on Sunday in response to CNN's previous reporting about the terminated USAID contracts that he would 'investigate' and 'fix it.' MANA's canceled contracts had been the result of the Trump administration's drastic efforts to slim down the federal government led by Musk, who leads a new government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Moore's company makes a special kind of peanut butter paste – a type of RUTF ('Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods') – that many humanitarian aid workers are familiar with. It is fortified with milk and essential vitamins, packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world, including some countries in Africa. USAID has historically supported and funded the development and distribution of RUTF products over the years. On Wednesday afternoon, Moore got word from USAID that MANA's contracts with the agency were being canceled. CNN spoke with Moore just minutes after he said he received a series of contract termination letters from USAID. One of his first orders of business was asking his workers mid-production to immediately stop putting labels that say 'USAID' on the pouches that the peanut butter paste is squirted into. He said without contracts with the agency, he would not be allowed to distribute any products bearing the agency's name. The back-and-forth is just one of the many aftershocks of the Trump administration's rapid decimation of USAID, which has suffered more severely than almost any other agency across the government. Thousands of positions at the federal agency have been eliminated and the vast majority of its officials have been placed on leave. Contracts are being canceled left and right, leaving many in the humanitarian aid world reeling. In normal times, Moore's plant produces 10 pouches of the lifesaving paste every second. Each small bag contains 500 calories' worth of the special peanut butter — which does not require refrigeration or additional preparation. In their warehouse, Moore said last week, there were around 400,000 boxes of USAID-branded RUTF ready to be shipped out. He estimated that if USAID didn't pay MANA for those boxes, he would have at least $10 million in wasted peanut butter pouches on his hands. And that didn't include an additional $14 million in reimbursements from the federal government that he was already waiting for. Erin Boyd, a USAID nutrition adviser who was laid off from the agency in January, told CNN it was not an overstatement to say that children would die as a result of the decimation of USAID and funding for RUTF. 'Even before this happened, there wasn't enough funding to treat all the children who were presenting wasting.' Boyd said. Wasting, according to UNICEF, refers to a life-threatening form of malnutrition: 'Children with wasting are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death,' the group says.
