I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4141 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development to take appropriate actions to improve the nutritional qual-
ity, quality control, and cost effectiveness of United States food assist-
ance, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 5, 2012 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 
COHEN, and Ms. BASS of California) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 
Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development to take appropriate ac-
tions to improve the nutritional quality, quality control, 
and cost effectiveness of United States food assistance, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Food As-
sistance Improvement Act of 2012’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) For more than 55 years the United States, 
backed by the support of the American people, has 
been committed to providing life-saving food assist-
ance to developing countries and vulnerable popu-
lations around the world. 
(2) As the largest donor of international food 
assistance, an essential tool in tackling malnutrition, 
the United States can lead the way in improving 
food aid quality to better target undernourished 
women and children. 
(3) The United States contributes over one-half 
of all food aid supplies to alleviate hunger and sup-
port development and plays an important role in re-
sponding to emergency food aid needs and ensuring 
global food security. 
(4) Over the past decade, increasing food prices 
and protracted humanitarian crises around the world 
have made United States food assistance even more 
critical and relevant. At the same time, these fac-
tors, combined with advancements in nutrition 
science, as well as severe and ongoing fiscal con-
straints, have led to an increased demand by policy-
makers and program implementers for new specially 
formulated and cost-effective products to meet the 
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nutritional needs of the world’s most vulnerable pop-
ulations. 
(5) While United States food assistance is effec-
tive in providing critical calories and nutrients to 
millions of people during short-term emergencies, 
the long-term impacts of these programs have also 
been increasingly called into question for not meet-
ing the nutritional needs of recipient populations. 
(6) Reducing maternal and child malnutrition, 
especially in the critical 1,000 days between preg-
nancy and age 2, is a key priority of United States 
global food security and health initiatives, including 
food aid. 
(7) Recent reports by the Government Account-
ability Office and the United States Agency for 
International Development recommended over 35 
changes to United States food aid products and pro-
grams to improve the nutritional quality, quality 
control, and cost effectiveness of United States food 
assistance. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) even in this time of fiscal austerity, the 
American people support the United States Govern-
ment’s historic commitment to providing life-saving 
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food assistance to the world’s most vulnerable popu-
lations; 
(2) high food prices, coupled with growing con-
straints on available resources for foreign assistance 
require the United States Government to focus on 
creating efficiencies, improving quality controls, and 
maximizing cost-effectiveness and nutritional impact 
of United States food assistance programs; 
(3) improving maternal and child health with 
supplemental nutrition products is a central objec-
tive of international food assistance programs; and 
(4) the United States has shown considerable 
leadership in meeting the nutrition needs of preg-
nant women and small children through the 1,000 
Days Partnership to support the Scaling Up Nutri-
tion (SUN) movement. 
SEC. 4. PROVISION OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. 
Section 202(h) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 
1722(h)) is amended by striking paragraph (1) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
use funds made available in fiscal year 2012 and 
subsequent fiscal years to carry out this title to im-
prove the nutritional quality of United States food 
assistance, particularly for vulnerable groups such as 
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pregnant and lactating mothers, children under the 
age of five, with a focus on the cost-effective 1,000 
days between pregnancy and age 2, when appro-
priate, and beneficiaries under the President’s 
Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief in Africa 
(PEPFAR), including by— 
‘‘(A) adopting new specifications or im-
proving existing specifications for micronutrient 
fortified food aid products, based on the latest 
developments in food and nutrition science; 
‘‘(B) strengthening necessary systems to 
better assess the types and quality of agricul-
tural commodities and products donated for 
food assistance; 
‘‘(C) adjusting products and formulations, 
including 
potential 
introduction 
of 
new 
fortificants and products, as necessary to cost 
effectively meet nutrient needs of target popu-
lations; 
‘‘(D) testing prototypes; 
‘‘(E) developing new program guidance to 
facilitate improved matching of products to pur-
poses having nutritional intent, including an 
updated commodity reference guide and deci-
sion tools; 
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