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WIC Food Packages
The WIC food packages provide supplemental foods
designed to meet the special nutritional needs of low-income pregnant,
breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, infants and children
up to five years of age who are at nutritional risk. WIC food packages
and nutrition education are the chief means by which WIC affects the
dietary quality and habits of participants. You can read a brief history of the WIC
food packages at Background: Revisions to the WIC Food Package.
On December 6, 2007,
an interim rule revising the
WIC food packages was published in the Federal Register. The new
food packages align with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and
infant feeding practice guidelines of the American Academy of
Pediatrics. The food packages better promote and support the
establishment of successful, long-term breastfeeding, provide WIC
participants with a wider variety of foods including fruits and
vegetables and whole grains, and provide WIC State agencies greater
flexibility in prescribing food packages to accommodate the cultural
food preferences of WIC participants. WIC State agencies must implement
the new changes by October 1, 2009. An interim rule allows the Food and
Nutrition Service to obtain feedback on the revisions while allowing
implementation to move forward. The interim rule comment period
ends on February 1, 2010. USDA will issue a final rule after review and
analysis of public comments.
To find out the status of the new food packages in a
particular State,
contact the State agency directly.
Maximum monthly allowances of
WIC supplemental foods in the new WIC food packages
Regulatory Requirements for WIC-Eligible Foods
in the new WIC food packages
Questions and Answers about the
WIC Food Packages
Breastfeeding Food Package
Guidance
Information for
Food Manufacturers
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