The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was set to incinerate nearly 500 metric tons (550 imperial tons) of emergency food destined for starving children, according to a rumor that spread online in July 2025.
For example, a post on X relayed the claim, adding that the story was "a tremendous metaphor" for the Trump administration because it was setting "a million dollars up in smoke" (archived):
As of this writing, the post had garnered 32,400 views and 2,000 likes. The claim further spread on X, including one post by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (archived), a Democrat from the state of Washington. It also appeared on Reddit and Facebook, in a post by Robert Reich, an economist and former secretary of labor under former President Bill Clinton.
In addition, several Snopes readers searched the site and emailed, seeking to confirm the veracity of the rumor. "Is [the] trump administration incinerating 500 tons of emergency food intended for children rather than distributing?" one wrote.
Indeed, several prominent news outlets had relayed the rumor, including Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast and Gizmodo.
The rumor stemmed from a report in The Atlantic that cited anonymous sources within the U.S. government. It didn't mention which part of the government employed these sources. We contacted the White House, which referred us to the State Department. The Department of State, under which USAID operated, confirmed that this food was indeed set to be incinerated.
"Unfortunately, this risk is part of always being ready to respond to life-saving humanitarian needs with consumable commodities in remote locations around the world," a department spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "USAID has had to destroy commodities under previous administrations with similar circumstances – this is not unique."
Citing these sources, the report said these high-energy biscuits were in storage at a warehouse in Dubai, a city and emirate of the United Arab Emirates. The administration of former President Joe Biden had acquired the nutrient-packed biscuits to distribute to children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to The Atlantic. The biscuits, which could have fed 1.5 million malnourished children for one week, had cost $800,000, the sources reportedly told The Atlantic, and their incineration would cost another $130,000, bringing the total bill to nearly $1 million.
The food expired on July 16, 2025, the report said. It had been stored in Dubai for months as staffing and funding cuts prevented USAID, the agency that acquired it, from distributing it.
However, contrary to the assertion by the Department of State that this situation was not unique, The Atlantic's report suggested it was unprecedented. "Several of the aid workers" the reporter "spoke with reiterated that they have never before seen the U.S. government simply give up on food that could have been put to good use." Snopes contacted the State Department asking them to respond to this point.
While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified in a congressional hearing on May 21, 2025, that the food would be distributed, The Atlantic reported its sources said the order to incinerate the food had already been given by that date.
High-energy biscuits are one type of food humanitarian and rescue efforts use as an immediate treatment for malnutrition during famines. They are highly caloric and pack essential nutrients, which makes them a stopgap solution to help stave off the dire consequences of hunger while crises persist.
We will update this report if more details emerge.