Release No. 0361.07
Contact: Jack Curry (703) 305-2281
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USDA Issues Interim Final Rule Revising the WIC Food Packages
WASHINGTON, Dec 5 - Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner today announced
publication of an interim final rule revising food packages provided by the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) for
the first time in nearly three decades.
"We're pleased to announce today that the new food packages, based on the
Dietary Guidelines, will include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which are
essential to a healthier diet," said Acting Secretary Chuck Conner. "The
addition of these foods better reflect the needs of over 8 million low-income
mothers and children in the WIC program. The new food packages are designed to
improve the nutrition and health of our nation's low-income pregnant women, new
mothers, infants and young children with nutrition education, and more fruits,
vegetables and whole grains to greatly improve dietary quality," added Conner.
The interim final rule, issued by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, will be
published Dec 6 in the Federal Register. It largely follows
recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National
Academies in the final report of its review of the WIC food packages, WIC
Food Packages: Time for a Change, as well as the latest nutrition science
and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Under the interim final rule, the
food packages are revised to add new foods including fruits, vegetables and
whole grains, while amounts of some current foods are modified.
WIC provides low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants,
and children up to age five with nutritious supplemental foods. The program also
provides nutrition education and referrals to health and social services. More
than eight million participants receive WIC benefits each month, with a federal
investment of over $5 billion in FY 2006. WIC food packages were first designed
in 1974 to supplement participants' diets with foods rich in five
nutrients-vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and protein-because those nutrients
were lacking in the diets of the WIC target population.
A copy of the interim final rule, can be found at
www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
Last modified:
04/09/2008
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