Food Inventories: Inventory Management of Federally Owned and Donated Surplus Foods

摘要

As a result of its dairy price-support purchases, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) inventory of dairy products grew from $570 million in September 1979 to $4.1 billion in September 1984. As of August 1985, the inventory was valued at $3.1 billion. Responding to a congressional mandate to reduce the inventory, USDA initiated a special distribution program in December 1981 under which it has provided the states with over $2 billion worth of dairy products and other foods for distribution to the needy. In response to several congressional requests, GAO reviewed USDA's and four states' inventory management systems to determine whether (1) the systems assured that products owned by USDA and special distribution program products provided to the states were properly controlled and (2) USDA minimized transportation and storage costs.