Point by point with WIC

Lorelei DiSogra of the United Fresh Produce Association passed on this point by point summary of the interim WIC rule. Again, it is hard to overestimate the importance of this change in nutrition policy. The way the USDA used the Institute of Medicine for the WIC food package changes appears to be their approach for rulemaking on nutrition related changes to the school lunch program, one nutrition advocate says.

Revisions to the WIC Food Packages

Summary

1. This interim rule revises regulations governing the WIC Food Packages to align the WIC Food Packages with the Dietary Guidelines for America, current infant feeding guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics and provide WIC participants with a wider variety of food.

2. These are the first comprehensive revisions to the WIC food packages since 1980.

3. State WIC agencies must implement the provisions of the rule no later than August 5, 2009 (18 months of the effective date of the interim rule). However, state WIC agencies can implement the new rule sooner as long as they implement it on a statewide basis.
4. In general, the proposed changes to the WIC food packages garnered broad support from public; 46,502 comments were received on the proposed rule.
5. The addition of fruits and vegetables to the WIC food packages was the most welcome provision of the proposed rule. Almost 40,000 of the total comments received supported the addition of fruits and vegetables to WIC.
6. Fruits and Vegetables added to WIC Food Packages - WIC Moms will receive a F/V voucher for $8/month; WIC Children will receive F/V voucher for $6/month and WIC fully breastfeeding mothers will receive a F/V voucher for $10/month.
7. The total projected value of the F/V vouchers is more than $500 million/year.
8. USDA emphasizes allowing WIC participants flexibility to choose a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as a means to increase F/V consumption. Further, USDA has disallowed state restrictions on eligible fruits and vegetables.
9. Small authorized retail vendors (e.g., Mom and Pop stores) must stock at least two different varieties of fruit and two different varieties of vegetables.
10. To improve consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables WIC participants are free to choose the fruits and vegetables they find most appealing.
11. White potatoes – White potatoes are excluded from authorization in the WIC food packages. USDA notes…” the restriction of white potatoes, as recommended by the IOM, is based on the amounts suggested in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for consumption of starchy vegetables; food intake data indicating that consumption of starchy vegetables meets or exceeds these suggested amounts; and food intake data showing that white potatoes are the most widely used vegetable.”
12. State WIC agencies will determine the dollar value of the F/V voucher.
13. To improve fruit and vegetable consumption, WIC participants will be allowed to pay the difference when their purchase of fruits and vegetables exceeds the value of the F/V voucher.
14. The reductions in milk, juice, eggs, and cheese proposed are retained in the interim rule.
15. For nutrition policy this interim rule is very significant as it represents the first time that any of USDA’s nutrition assistance programs have been revised to be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines.