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.
New food packages are now being provided to WIC
participants in all States. 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. 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
ended on February 1, 2010. FNS is currently reviewing and analyzing
comments and expects to promulgate a final rule in 2011.
Comments: All comments submitted
electronically via Regulations.gov can now be viewed on
Regulations.gov (see instructions below). FNS is currently
processing and uploading to Regulations.gov those comments received
via regular mail by the February 1, 2010 deadline. Viewers
should check Regulations.gov on a weekly basis to view newly posted
comments.
To view comments on Regulations.gov:
Go to
www.regulations.gov
Click on "Read Comments" at the top of the
screen.
Enter keyword or ID: FNS-2006-0037 (may
also search by submitter ID). Click on "Search."
Note: Postings with the title "Comment FR
Doc # E7-23033" should be disregarded. These are attachments
to comment letters, which are also included with the individual
comment to which it was attached. Due to a system error,
these attachments appear both with the comment letter and
separately.
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
Links to State Agency WIC
Program Approved Food Lists
Breastfeeding Food Package
Guidance
Information for
Food Manufacturers
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Last modified 03/30/12 |