WIC Program Touts Expanded Access

Today, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC, received its first update in roughly a decade, according to AP News. The final rule for the updated WIC food packages were issued by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

The program will incentivize fruit and vegetable purchases while expanding access to culturally diverse offerings. The modifications will take effect within two years, with some exceptions.

“It places a heavy emphasis on fruits and vegetables, which we think is an important component of a healthy diet,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “It’s designed to fill the nutrition gaps that are often in the diets of many of us.”

First enacted during the pandemic, the WIC rule that permanently bumps up the monthly cash vouchers for fruits and vegetables will take effect in June, according to officials.

The updates expand access to global whole grains like quinoa, wild rice, and millet and to foods such as teff and whole wheat naan. They also remove or reduce monthly allowances for juice and cut back on allowances for milk, according to the report. Full Story