“Food aid is a global business that millions depend on, from the typhoon-stricken Philippines to war-torn Syria. Yet when it comes to the sourcing of this aid, there’s a growing debate on how much food should be bought locally,” versus shipped from the donor country, the Christian Science Monitor reports, examining how “[b]oth approaches come with trade-offs.” “The U.S. is the largest player in food aid: With $1.4 billion in 2013, it accounts for 36 percent of contributions to the United Nations World Food Programme,” the newspaper writes, adding, “However, it is the only major food aid donor to tie such a large share of its food aid to domestic interests. Other donors such as the European Union and Japan grant flexibility to buy food locally” (Kordunsky, 12/7).