Humanitarian aid successfully arrived in Venezuela recently with the help of Goya Foods.
The news was announced by Carlos Vecchio, the Venezuelan ambassador to the U.S. named by the caretaker president Juan Guaidó, during a press conference Monday.
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"Thanks to Goya we have received and we have sent to Venezuela 400,000 pounds of food that would have been delivered internally, inside of Venezuela, with the support of humanitarian agencies in Venezuela," Vecchio said.
Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, said the food included rice, black beans and other nonperishable items.
Both leaders said they wanted to keep the news of the aid under the radar because the Nicolás Maduro regime has blocked the entrance of humanitarian aid to the country in the past.
"It’s inconceivable to me that the government would reject not only our aid, but aid from countries around the world and humanitarian organizations," Unanue said. "But the food we had offered is already distributed, and we commit to continuing to distribute and help the country."
Unanue faced backlash among Latinos this summer after he praised President Donald Trump at a White House visit. Many people called for a boycott of the popular company.
The controversy didn't come up during the press conference, but Vecchio said the "Venezuelan cause" has been bipartisan.
