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The FBI has alleged that meal providers sponsored by Minneapolis-based Feeding Our Future were paid tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for food they never provided to needy children, using most of that money to purchase real estate, luxury vehicles and other goods. Among those convicted were a highly regarded school headmaster who also ran several daycare centres in Georgia, several ministers who ran their own nonprofit organizations distributing meals, and a former congressional candidate.

There have been cases of corruption related to school feeding in the municipality of Santander in Colombia. The contract worth $30 million, intended for the children of Santander, was awarded to a company with no expertise in cooking or nutrition.

Against the backdrop of the ministry's policy to make education free of charge, the 2009 school year has begun, beset by shortages of supplies, lunches, furniture, and some teachers in public schools and institutions. Not only did pupils entering the schools have to take or buy their lunch but they also got an extended playtime, as the schools lacked the desks and teaching materials for the few teachers who were in place to give classes.