The U. S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will include more fruits, vegetables and grains and less dairy products and eggs, in accordance with dietary recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.

The shift announced by the USDA will be effective next February and must be implemented within the following 18 months, the agency said. These changes will bring the food packages in accordance with current federal dietary guidelines, specifically recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine in its review of the foods provided through the program.
This is the first major change in the packages since the USDA initiated WIC more than 30 years ago, the department said, and a result of nearly a decade of research.

The WIC nutrition program was formed to serve low-income individuals who face nutrition risks and the new changes are meant to better address certain such risks. The program serves infants, young children and mothers with vouchers for specific foods.
Eric Steiner, the department's associate administrator for special nutrition programs, said WIC recipients tend to have diets deficient in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, while obesity appears to be prevalent.

“The revised packages have less saturated fat and cholesterol, and this is accomplished by reducing the quantities of milk and cheese,” Steiner was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

The revision is also meant to encourage healthier nutrition habits, from an early age, as well as to promote breast-feeding. In addition, the program is attentive with the cultural diversity of recipients, hence offering products such as tofu, soy beverages, tortillas and brown rice.

Miriam Irwin, registered dietitian with Somerset Tapestry of Health (WIC), emphasized that milk, cheese, eggs and juice are essential in a healthy diet, but that “fruits and vegetables have been very difficult for clients to buy” as they “are more expensive.”

“WIC is considered supplemental,” Irwin said. “This is a little shifting of allocations. The USDA is trying to give people more nutrients, but not drastically cut any category.”