The USDA is proposing changes to the list of foods eligible for purchase under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food assistance program, hoping it bring it more into line with nutritional and other needs.
WIC is an add-on to the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Targeted toward women with young children, it is more restrictive than the larger SNAP program in terms of what foods can be bought with it.
The USDA announced Nov. 17 that it wants to expand the list of eligible food. Proposals include:
- Increasing the allowance for fresh fruits and vegetables by three to four times their previous level. Congress has already done this on an interim basis; USDA wants to make the change permanent.
- Expanding whole grain options to include foods like quinoa, blue cornmeal, and teff to reflect dietary guidance and accommodate individual or cultural preferences.
- Including canned fish along with fresh or dried.
- Including canned beans along with dried.
- Adding “flexibility” in the amount of formula allocated for babies that are partially breast-fed.
“For the more than 6 million moms, babies and young children who participate in WIC – and the millions more eligible to participate – these proposed revisions have the potential to make positive, life-long impacts on health and well-being,” USDA deputy undersecretary Stacy Dean said in a statement.
USDA will collect comments on the proposed changes between Nov. 21 and Feb. 21.
