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Background: Revisions to the WIC Food Package
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC):
Revisions in the WIC Food Packages - Interim Rule
This interim final rule, published in the Federal
Register on December 6, 2007, revises the WIC food packages. The
revisions align the WIC food packages with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines
for Americans and infant feeding practice guidelines of the American
Academy of Pediatrics. The interim final rule revisions largely reflect
recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National
Academies in its report, "WIC Food Packages: Time for a Change," with
certain cost containment and administrative modifications found
necessary by the Department to ensure cost neutrality. An interim final
rule allows FNS to obtain feedback on the major changes as recommended
by IOM while allowing implementation to move forward. State agencies
must implement the provisions no later than August 5, 2009. The interim
final rule comment period ends on February 1, 2010, which is 180 days
after the implementation deadline. USDA will issue a final rule after
review and analysis of public comments.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC):
Revisions in the WIC Food Packages - Proposed Rule
This
proposed rule,
published August 7, 2006, would revise regulations governing
the WIC food packages to align the WIC food packages with the 2005
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and current infant feeding practice
guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, better promote and
support the establishment of successful long-term breastfeeding, provide
WIC participants with a wider variety of food, provide WIC State
agencies with greater flexibility in prescribing food packages to
accommodate participants with cultural food preferences, and serve
participants with certain qualifying conditions under one food package
to facilitate efficient management of medically fragile participants.
The revisions largely reflect recommendations made by the Institute of
Medicine of the National Academies in its Report “WIC Food Packages:
Time for a Change,”
with certain cost containment and administrative modifications found
necessary by the Department to ensure cost neutrality.
National Academies’ Institute of Medicine Released Report
Recommending Revisions to the WIC Food Packages
The Institute of Medicine's final report of its review of the WIC food
packages, WIC
Food Packages: Time for a Change , was released
to the public on April 27, 2005. In September 2003, FNS contracted
with the IOM to independently review the WIC Food Packages. FNS charged
IOM with recommending specific cost-neutral changes to WIC food packages
based on scientific information about the nutrition needs of WIC
participants. An initial report, released August 2004, described nutrient
needs for the WIC target population, and criteria for new food packages.
The final report offers specific recommendations for food package changes.
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires that the
Department issue a final rule within 18 months of receiving the Committee’s
report. The Department is reviewing the IOM recommendations closely in
order to develop this rule.
Review of the WIC Food Packages by the Institute of Medicine
In September 2003, a contract was awarded to the National Academy of
Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM), through the Food and Nutrition
Board, to independently review the WIC food packages in a 22-month study.
Under this contract, IOM has selected a Committee of experts in nutrition,
health, risk assessment and economics to conduct this study in two phases.
In Phase I, the Committee is using current scientific information to
review the nutritional requirements and assess the supplemental nutrition
needs of the population served by WIC. Based on this assessment, IOM will,
in phase II, recommend cost-neutral changes in WIC food items or amounts
to better address the nutritional needs of the WIC eligible population.
On August 19, 2004, the Committee released its Phase I preliminary
report, "Proposed
Criteria for Selecting the WIC Food Packages." The preliminary
report lists priority nutrients and food groups that the Committee will
consider in making its recommendations regarding specific foods. The
report also proposes criteria that the Committee will use to select the
WIC food packages. Using the priority nutrients/food groups and criteria
proposed in this preliminary report, IOM will prepare a final report
with cost-neutral recommendations for specific foods by February 2005.
IOM held two public meetings in Los Angeles, California, and Washington,
DC, in the summer of 2004, to hear oral comments on proposed changes in
the WIC food packages, and also accepted written comments until November 1, 2004.
Revisions to the WIC Food Packages - Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
On
September 15, 2003, FNS published an Advanced Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking comments on revisions to the food
packages offered through the WIC Program. The 90-day comment
period ended Dec. 15, 2003. In this ANPRM, the Department
solicited public comments on redesigning the food packages offered through
the WIC Program to determine if the WIC food
packages should be revised to better improve the nutritional intake,
health and development of participants and, if so, what specific changes
should be made to the food packages.
The Department enlisted independent technical experts via
the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board to review available
science and comments submitted in response to this ANPRM, and to develop
recommendations on revising the WIC food packages for the Department’s
consideration. The Department
used comments received through the ANPRM and the IOM recommendations to develop a proposed rule to revise the WIC food
packages.
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