Venezuela’s state-run food program Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP) has come under fire for corruption. In July 2018, the US Department of the Treasury and the finance ministries of Colombia, Mexico, and Panama jointly “condemned the large-scale theft of funds from the Venezuelan food aid program.”

CLAP has been used by President Nicolas Maduro to bolster his political support. Maduro mandated that citizens purchase CLAP food boxes through a state issued national identity card, a directive which has been viewed as an “exchange of loyalty,” where political support is rewarded with critical food aid.