INTRODUCTION 

Updated January 2006

The CRG is an information tool, providing relevant information about the food commodities used in P.L. 480 Title II program. All food commodities are available to the P.L. 480 Program as long as they are not determined to be in short supply by the US Secretary of Agriculture, a determination that is made every October (per Section 401(a) of the FAIR Act, 1996) by the Secretary of Agriculture. The CRG is intended for use by Title II cooperating sponsors as they develop new proposals or modify previously approved activities. The CRG is designed to provide these organizations with a description of available food commodities, their nutritional values and physical properties, a guide to appropriate storage and handling, and important general information regarding their safe and effective use as rations in Title II programs that distribute food directly to recipients. It is also designed as a reference for USAID Food for Peace officers (FFP), other USAID officers, the staff of cooperating sponsors, and recipient governments and agencies that are involved in decision-making for planning, managing, controlling, and evaluating appropriate uses of Title II food commodities.

The CRG provides information on the food commodities that are in general use in the Title II program in Part One (Title II Food Aid Commodities and Fact Sheets)and information and examples on selecting rations for different program scenarios in Part Two (Guidelines for Selecting Food Aid Commodities). It should be noted that the information here is not a substitute for the very detailed guidance provided by the Office of Food for Peace annual proposal guidance, the monetization manual, and the USAID food aid and food security policy paper. The CRG program examples are for illustration. It does not attempt to anticipate all the ways in which rations may enter into programs. The CRG is not intended to offer programming guidance, which is derived from USAID policies on program design, management, performance monitoring and evaluation which are all available elsewhere. Policy guidance is provided in other documentation from the Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Office of Food for Peace (DCHA/FFP). The CRG web site does provide links to relevant representative complementary policy and program documents and key web sites.

Title II food assistance programs illustrated in the CRG are geared to impact food security through improved access to food, increased availability of food and/or improved nutrition and utilization of food of the target groups. In addition to providing emergency relief from hunger and malnutrition, Title II programs emphasize sustainable food security and nutrition goals.

The following is a major revision and update of the original CRG, issued in January 1988, by the USAID/DCHA/FFP. The decade following the publication of the CRG has seen significant changes that necessitate updating both the content of the CRG and the methods of dissemination of that content. New information regarding micronutrients and their importance in food assistance has become available. Understanding has evolved on the bioavailability of micronutrients (e.g., the advisability and feasibility of fortification of vegetable oil with vitamin A), the nutritional needs of food assistance recipients, methods for delivery of micronutrients, and changes in the fortification requirements for the U.S. food supply. Changes in the availability of key food commodities used to make blended products also have affected the composition of the P.L. 480 food assistance basket. The 1999/2000 revision process has incorporated input from all the stakeholders: USAID, USDA, the cooperating sponsors and the commodity groups and includes input from headquarters and field personnel.

Significant advances in communication and information systems (e.g., satellite/wireless communication, the Internet and the World Wide Web), have made it possible to present, publish and disseminate information in an entirely new fashion -- on the World Wide Web. Thus, the 1999 edition of the CRG is available in both hard copy and on the USAID Web site as a downloadable PDF file, and can be accessed at http://www.usaid.gov. This method has the added advantage of ensuring that the CRG is updated and revised quickly and inexpensively to reflect new commodity specifications or program requirements, making the CRG a vital, "evergreen" document.

Furthermore, users of the Guide anywhere in the world can share their decades of experience, offer recipes, preparation methods, specific anecdotal information or suggestions regarding ways in which the CRG can be made more useful to recipients of Title II P.L. 480 food commodities. Similarly, USAID and USDA can update the nutritional composition data, reflecting state-of-the-art technology, bioavailability data, and other related issues. Manufacturers of Title II food commodities are also able to offer timely input on packaging, distribution, insect and rodent control, and other operations-related matters. The use of web site technology makes all of the information available at low cost and in short time frames.

Part One: TITLE II FOOD AID COMMODITIES AND FACT SHEETS

Section I provides a list of the food commodities generally used in Title II projects along with a brief description of each one, and explains the rationale for USDA exclusion of those in shortage in any given year.

Section II presents individual Commodity Fact Sheets. Included are detailed descriptions of commonly used food commodities, including their nutritional content, components, USDA specifications, and packaging information.

Section III addresses commodity storage and shelf life concerns.

Section IV provides information on controlling damages to food commodities.

Part Two: GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING FOOD AID COMMODITIES

The Overview section outlines the Food for Peace program and the five step framework used for selecting food rations. The guidelines consist of five steps: (1) Program Design, (2) Suitability of Food Commodities, (3) Ration Specifications, (4) Ration Calculation, and (5) Ranking and Selection. In five Modules, these steps are applied to types of programs in which food aid is commonly used. The following modules are designed so that each can be read independently of the others:

Module 1 provides information for Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition programs.

Module 2 provides information for Food for Work programs.

Module 3 provides information regarding Food for Education and school feeding program components.

Module 4 provides information for Non-Emergency Humanitarian Assistance.

Module 5 provides information for Emergency programs.

Part Three: ANNEXES

Annex I - Definitions

Annex II - Tools and Indicators

Annex III - Recommended Energy Allowance Tables

Annex IV - Recommended Dietary Allowance Table

Annex V - Sources for Obtaining Commodity Prices

Comments on parts of the guide and additional information on commodity specification and P.L. 480 program management may be obtained from: Office of Food for Peace
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20523