This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The first WIC clinic opened to address malnutrition among mothers with low incomes and their children in 1974.1 The program provides federal grants so that states can support supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found at nutritional risk.2
The U.S Department of Food and Agriculture implemented a final rule that revised WIC food packages. These regulations provide WIC participants with wider varieties of food choices aligning with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.3 The updates allow WIC to provide a more inclusive environment for families that seek to prepare culturally relevant meals and those with dietary restrictions. Participants now have access to plant-based milk substitutes and an expansion of whole grain options to include goods like teff and naan.4 One participant expressed her pleasure with the changes, stating that she can now cook Hispanic meals that her children will eat with products now part of the meal package, like Goya beans that were not covered under the program in the past.5
WIC is available to individuals living in all 50 states, 32 Tribal Indian Organizations, the District of Columbia, and five territories.6 Additionally, non-citizens are also encouraged to apply if they meet the eligibility requirements.7 As of 2021, WIC only reached about half of those eligible for the program and this coverage gap prompted the USDA to initiate its modernization. In North Carolina, potential participants can begin the application process at their local agency or fill out a referral form online.
References
1. Oliveira, V., Racine, E., Olmstead, J, Ghelfi L. M., (2002, October) The WIC Program: Background, Trends, and Issues. Food Assistance & Nutrition Research Program Report (27). https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46648/15834_fanrr27c_1_.pdf
2. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (2024, Sept. 26) U.S. Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 13, 2024, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic
3.Final Rule: Revisions in the WIC packages (2024). (2024, May 13). U.S. Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 13, 2024, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/fr-041824
4. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages, 7 C.F.R. § 246 (2024). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-07437/special-supplemental-nutrition-program-for-women-infants-and-children-wic-revisions-in-the-wic-food#h-21
5.Schmall, E., (2024, October 17). In a Bid to Feed More Families, WIC Diversifies its Menu. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/well/wic-food-choice.html
6.State Agency. (2024, October 4). U.S. Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/state-agency
7. Non-Citizen Communities. (2024, September 25). U.S. Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/non-citizen-communities?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=6d950000-7659-438a-a146-5da08b9dc75a
By Aaliyah Goodman
