US red tape is stopping it from reaching hungry evacuees.

Instead tons of the badly needed Nato ration packs, the same as those eaten by British troops in Iraq, has been condemned as unfit for human consumption.

Katrina crisis victim

NEEDY: Evacuees from New Orleans

And unless the bureaucratic mess is cleared up soon it could be sent for incineration.

One British aid worker last night called the move "sickening senselessness" and said furious colleagues were "spitting blood".

The food, which cost British taxpayers millions, is sitting idle in a huge warehouse after the Food and Drug Agency recalled it when it had already left to be distributed.

Scores of lorries headed back to a warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas, to dump it at an FDA incineration plant.

The Ministry of Defence in London said last night that 400,000 operational ration packs had been shipped to the US.

But officials blamed the US Department of Agriculture, which impounded the shipment under regulations relating to the import and export of meat.

The aid worker, who would not be named, said: "This is the most appalling act of sickening senselessness while people starve.

"The FDA has recalled aid from Britain because it has been condemned as unfit for human consumption, despite the fact that these are Nato approved rations of exactly the same type fed to British soldiers in Iraq.

"Under Nato, American soldiers are also entitled to eat such rations, yet the starving of the American South will see them go up in smoke because of FDA red tape madness."

The worker added: "There will be a cloud of smoke above Little Rock soon - of burned food, of anger and of shame that the world's richest nation couldn't organise a p**s up in a brewery and lets Americans starve while they arrogantly observe petty regulations.

"Everyone is revolted by the chaotic shambles the US is making of this crisis. Guys from Unicef are walking around spitting blood.

"This is utter madness. People have worked their socks off to get food into the region.

"It is perfectly good Nato approved food of the type British servicemen have. Yet the FDA are saying that because there is a meat content and it has come from Britain it must be destroyed.

"If they are trying to argue there is a BSE reason then that is ludicrously out of date. There is more BSE in the States than there ever was in Britain and UK meat has been safe for years."

The Ministry of Defence said: "We understand there was a glitch and these packs have been impounded by the US Department of Agriculture under regulations relating to the import and export of meat.

"The situation is changing all the time and at our last meeting on Friday we were told progress was being made in relation to the release of these packs. The Americans certainly haven't indicated to us that there are any more problems and they haven't asked us to take them back."

Food from Spain and Italy is also being held because it fails to meet US standards and has been judged unfit for human consumption.

And Israeli relief agencies are furious that thousands of gallons of pear juice are to be destroyed because it has been judged unfit.

The FDA said: "We did inspect some MREs (meals ready to eat) on September 13. They are the only MREs we looked at. There were 70 huge pallets of vegetarian MREs.

"They were from a foreign nation. We inspected them and then released them for distribution."

This is more government foolishness. There's some political motivations going on to insult the help coming from other countries.

Just pile the stuff up, and tell the people that, "those food packs have British cooties -- you eat them at your own risk." Let people make their own minds up. I'm sure they know how to examine food and tell if it's good or not.

American's in the south are still reeling from the hardships and disasterous results of Hurricane Katrina as another Category 5 Hurricane, named Rita now approaches to eat away, blow, and devour more of the United States of America, her people, her property, and her homeland.

Meanwhile, we the people of America have not recovered and yet BARELY and responded to the devistation from Katrina. I ask everyone sitting safely and securely in Washington DC, WHAT NOW?

As stated in many articles since the devistation of Katrina, America is not ready for another disaster; yet here it is, on our doorstep. We are NOT prepared! I don't intend to waste time in blaming anyone for this, but again, encourage one and all to action!

WE THE PEOPLE must CONTINUE to be ever more helpful, loving and caring to our fellow Americans as well as all people and living things. We have ALL been feeling the the aftermath of these disasters through higher gas prices, higher food costs, and we will all go ON feeling the needs of all people now residing in this Great Nation.

As "Rita" continues on her present path of destruction, things can only get worse across our land, within our communities.

How can I reach enough American's, enough of our Government to say clearly enough and get one and all understand the conception, 'AMERICAN IS IN A TIME OF NEED AND DISASTER NOW'? America is being destroyed by the forces of Mother Nation. We are NO LONGER this great, prosperous, RICH land; we are now the impoverished, the poor, the beaten, not by war, but by Human Disaster by Storms! We MUST care for our own People, NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, if American's are to continue to live! We can not deny our American People's needs in this time of GIANT PROPORTIONS OF DESTRUCTION FROM THE FORCES OF WEATHER. We need clean water, bottled, temporary housing, emergency service, especially MEDICATIONS AND MEDICAL ATTENTION as with these disasters we will, once again, see diseases that we had long since thought gone forever from our lives.

Mr. President, Senators, Congressmen and Women, AMERICA HAS NEEDS OF SURVIVAL OF IT'S OWN RIGHT NOW. PLEASE HELP US AS WE HAVE HELPED YOU, SUPPORTED YOU, ELECTED YOU, HAD FAITH IN YOU! STOP the abomination of our American Assets to aid and assist other Nations right now as WE, THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION ARE THE ONE'S IN THE GREATEST NEED RIGHT NOW. Don't allow the RED TAPE and other Governmental BS to stop the aid to those of us who are in urgent and utmost need! The American People are coming together in remarkable giving, sharing, caring, donating at this time of severe need and want on American shores. THEY are setting the example. So WHY IS IT THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS DESTROYING ASSISTANCE AND AID, DENYING IT FROM CERTAIN COUNTRIES OFFERING AID, TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

AMERICA IS IN NEED.
IT'S YOUR DUTY AND YOUR JOB TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF THIS GREAT NATION.
WE ARE DIEING AT YOUR HANDS, AT YOUR DELAYS.
HELP A DIEING AMERICA!

Gunni Di