Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants & Children (WIC) |
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Description
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Provides
nutritious supplemental foods, nutrition education, and
health and social services referrals at no charge to
low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women;
and infants and children up to the age of five years. |
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Provides
participants in most States with monthly checks or vouchers
to buy specific foods designed to supplement their diet with
specific nutrients. A few State agencies distribute the WIC
foods through warehouses or deliver the foods to
participants’ homes. |
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Provides
nutritious foods that include iron-fortified infant formula
and infant cereal, iron-fortified adult cereal, vitamin
C-rich fruit or vegetable juice, eggs, milk, and cheese.
Soy-based beverages, tofu, fruits and vegetables, baby
foods, whole-wheat bread, and other whole-grain options were
recently added. |
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Provides
WIC services through county health departments, hospitals,
mobile clinics, community centers, schools, public housing
sites, Indian reservations, migrant health centers and
camps, and Indian Health Service facilities. |
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Operates
in all 50 States, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, America
Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands. These 90 WIC State agencies administer WIC through
2,200 local agencies and 9,000 clinic sites. |
Background
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The
program was created in 1972 as a pilot program. WIC has
operated as a permanent nutrition assistance program since
1974. |
Participants
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8.1
million people participated in FY 2006 (monthly average). |
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An
applicant’s family income must be at or below 185% of the
U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines ($38,203 for four-person
household as of July 1, 2007). A person who participates or
has family members who participate in certain other benefit
programs, such as the Food Stamp Program, Medicaid, or
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, automatically meets
the income eligibility requirement. |
Budget
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$5.3
billion in FY 2006 and $5.2 billion in FY 2007 (est.) |
Contact Information
Last modified:
December 2007
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