Apr 12 Flexibility of WIC Approved Foods Soon to Improve

Apr 12h in Bold Voices by

(April 12, 2024)

WIC champions and advocates have something to celebrate this week, as the USDA announced final updates to the WIC Food Packages.

This is the result of a science-based process informed by updated nutrition guidelines that prioritizes the long-term health and wellbeing of kids and babies. The new packages prioritize providing participants with expanded choices and flexibility in accessing nutritious foods and enhance the shopping experience for WIC families. There are seven different food packages available to WIC participants according to their nutritional needs and life stage.

What updates have been finalized?

A significant update is the permanent increase in the value of the fruit and vegetable benefit. The enhanced benefit has helped participants purchase more fruits and vegetables over the past few years, but only through temporary Congressional measures. This updated benefit provides participants with up to four times the amount they previously received. A recent survey found that WIC participants overwhelmingly supported this increase. We are thrilled to see it as a permanent fixture of the WIC program. The permanent increase to the fruit and vegetable benefit comes at a critical time with rising food costs.

Other enhancements to the WIC Food Packages include:

  • Expanding whole grain options to include foods like quinoa and blue cornmeal to reflect dietary guidance and accommodate individual or cultural preferences.
  • Providing more convenience and options within the dairy category, including flexibility on package sizes and non-dairy substitution options.
  • Including canned fish in more food packages.
  • Requiring canned beans to be offered in addition to dried.
  • Additional flexibility in the amount of infant formula provided to “partially breastfed” infants.
When will the changes be implemented?

Not only will these changes provide participants with a wider variety of foods, which support healthy dietary patterns, but it also allows WIC state agencies more flexibility to tailor the food packages. This allows for states to ensure WIC package foods meet the preferences of participants in their state, which likely differs across states. WIC state agencies will have two years to implement these changes, allowing time to engage with stakeholders in the process.

What are the changes based on?

As outlined in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, the foods prescribed to participants align better with the evidence-based Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, and recommendations.

The “supplemental” design of the WIC program is intended to fill nutritional gaps in participants’ diets by providing specific nutrients. WIC is not designed to provide all foods in a participant’s diet except for infants under 6 months. WIC is intended to supplement what most participants already consume to help provide a balanced diet that supports growth and development. The 2017 NASEM report recommendations aimed for at least 50 percent of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for priority nutrients like potassium, fiber, choline, vitamin D, and copper, while also promoting greater variety. In the current packages, some food groups are issued at more than supplemental levels. The approach for the update is to focus on increasing food groups that are issued at lower than supplemental levels.

Why now?

The USDA must review and update the food packages at least every 10 years to reflect the current science and cultural eating patterns. The last time USDA updated the food packages was 2014. After the 2009 food package updates, the CDC reported a 2 percent decline in the obesity rate for WIC enrolled toddlers, which brought the rate down to the national average. There were also improvements in pregnancy outcomes for WIC moms, which included reduced maternal preeclampsia and gestational weight gain, and reduced risk of gestational diabetes among women of color.

The updates reinforce WIC’s 50-year legacy of promoting positive maternal and child health outcomes for millions of participants nationwide. Allies for Children will continue to watch this issue through all stages of implementation and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on children and families in Pennsylvania, including those in Allegheny County.

To learn more about WIC policy and advocacy, check out this blog:
WIC Federal Funding Secured, but the Work Continues

Cristina Codario, Allies for Children Policy Director