Last year, the government bought 1.8m metric tonnes of US wheat, sorghum and other commodities at a cost of nearly $1bn.

But until now it has been unclear who, precisely, benefits from the US food aid business. The Guardian compiled details on hundreds of food aid contracts awarded in fiscal year 2010-11 as part of an investigation into where the US government buys the food for its overseas food aid programmes.

Explore which companies sold food aid products to the government last year, what was bought, and where it was sent.