Advisory committee says WIC program needs to be revised

Food & Drink Weekly, May 2, 2005

The federal government needs to change the mix of foods it offers through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The report proposes a number of changes to the WIC nutrition assistance program to encourage participants to consume more whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

"If implemented, these revisions would be the most substantial changes to the mix of foods offered through WIC since the supplemental nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children was launched in 1974," according the National Academies. The recommendations also are the first effort to apply the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans to a national food program. In many localities, WIC food "packages" are actually itemized vouchers or checks that participants use to obtain specific foods at participating grocery outlets. The packages have remained largely unchanged since USDA initiated the program 30 years ago, says the report.

One of the most fundamental revisions proposed by the report is the inclusion of a wide choice of fruits and vegetables in the food packages for women and children. The report recommends that WIC participants be given vouchers or coupons for fresh produce totaling $10 per month for each woman and $8 a month per child, an amount that corresponds to one to two servings of fruits and vegetables a day. When access to fresh produce is limited, WIC state agencies can specify that participating women may choose processed items, such as canned fruits and vegetables, in comparable amounts, the report says.

The expansion of WIC food packages to include fresh produce applies a major recommendation of the new federal dietary guidelines, which call for people to eat more fruits and vegetables daily. The only fruits and vegetables currently provided through WIC are juice for all participants four months and older, and carrots for new mothers who breast-feed rather than formula-feed.

Overall, the proposed additions, deletions and substitutions would make it possible for WIC to provide a wider variety of foods without raising the total cost of the food packages, the committee concluded. The average monthly cost per participant currently is estimated to be about $35, which would be approximately the same for the revised packages if all the changes are made.

WIC is one of the largest nutrition programs in the United States. In 2000 the WIC served about half of all U.S. infants and about a quarter of children ages one through four, along with many of their mothers. The costs of providing supplemental food packages as well as nutrition education, breast-feeding support and other assistance to 7.6 million participants a month totaled $4.7 billion in 2003.