U.S. publishes candidates list for world food program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Twenty U.S. humanitarian groups and the Dominican Republic were named by the U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday to assist the U.N. World Food Program in running a $300 million international school-lunch program.

The Global Food for Education Initiative, created by President Bill Clinton in July, aims to use surplus American commodities to provide at least one nutritious meal a day to as many as 9 million children in developing nations.

The organizations must now submit a blueprint on how they will "establish a preschool or school feeding program to draw children into the school environment and improve access to basic education, especially for females," the USDA said in a statement.

A federal interagency food aid council will decide in October who will conduct the $300 million pilot program. The types of commodities and amount to be purchased in the initial phases of the program will also be decided.

The agricultural goods will be taken from a federal commodity surplus program that provides for overseas donations. Soybeans, corn, wheat, rice and nonfat dry milk products were to be included in the first donations for the program.

The 21 candidates for the program, selected from some 30 applicants, include:

1. The government of the Dominican Republic

2. ACDI/VOCA, Washington DC

3. Adventist Development and Relief, International, Maryland

4. Africare, Washington DC

5. Catholic Relief Services, Maryland

6. Care USA, Georgia

7. Counterpart International, Inc., Washington DC

8. Feed the Children, Oklahoma

9. International Orthodox Christian Charities, Maryland

10. International Partnership for Human Development, Virginia

11. International Relief and Development Inc., Washington DC

12. Land O'Lakes, Virginia

13. Mercy Corps International, Oregon

14. Mercy-USA for Aid and Development, Michigan

15. Opportunities Industrialization Centers International, Pennsylvania

16. Project Concern International, California

17. Salesian Missions, Virginia

18. Save the Children, Washington DC

19. TechnoServe, Washington DC

20. World Share, California

21. World Vision, Washington DC

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