Rutgers School of Business–Camden faculty member Mark Brennan was recently featured in The Hill with a timely and powerful op-ed examining global hunger through the lens of supply chains, public policy, and—most importantly—people.
In the piece, Brennan reflects on how global events, including government shutdowns, geopolitical tensions, and recent elections, have shifted attention away from food insecurity, even as the need remains urgent. Writing around World Food Day and Thanksgiving, he argues that this moment feels less like a celebration of progress and more like a reckoning with the erosion of the U.S. global aid infrastructure that once played a critical role in reducing malnutrition worldwide.
Drawing on his experience as both a supply chain scholar and a practitioner who has worked on the frontlines of U.S. food aid, Brennan offers vivid examples of what effective aid looks like in practice—from trucks delivering emergency rations to Ukraine, to food voucher systems supporting families during droughts in Somalia. He emphasizes that successful aid operations rely not just on funding or policy, but on a deeply interconnected human infrastructure of logisticians, inspectors, warehouse managers, and local experts who translate resources into real relief.
Brennan warns that when aid budgets are cut, it is not only programs that disappear but also the skilled professionals and relationships that make complex global operations function. These losses, he argues, cannot be easily or quickly rebuilt. His op-ed underscores that supply chains ultimately succeed or fail because of people—and that dismantling this human network has long-term consequences for working farmers, vulnerable communities, and global stability.
By spotlighting the often-invisible human effort behind international food aid, Brennan’s op-ed challenges policymakers and readers alike to reconsider what leadership in global hunger relief truly requires. His work reinforces the importance of supply chain expertise, ethical policy decisions, and sustained investment in the people who make life-saving aid possible.