The New WIC Way:

1
The New WIC Way

• Foods and Focus

Support staff November 2008
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The New WIC Way Foods and Focus

• Foods as provided in the new Interim Food
  Package Rule
• Focus on WIC as a nutrition program, that
  provides supplemental foods, that supports
  breastfeeding as the normal way to feed babies,
  and that is consistent with the 2005 Dietary
  Guidelines for Americans and the Academy of
  Pediatrics infant feeding practices.

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Food Package Beginnings...1974

• The WIC food packages were designed to supplement
  
• participants diets with foods rich in five
  target
• nutrients known to be lacking in the diets of the
  WIC target
• population vitamins A and C, calcium, iron and
  protein.

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History of WIC Foods

• Since 1980, the only
• significant change made
• in the WIC food packages
• occurred in 1992, when the
• set of foods provided for
• breastfeeding women was
• expanded.

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Why Revise the WIC Food Packages?

• Changes have occurred in the
• major health and nutrition risks
• faced by WICs target population,
• including
• diets lacking in whole
• grains and fruit and vegetables
• short duration of breastfeeding
• overweight and obesity

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Why Revise the WIC Food Packages?

• A substantial shift in the
• ethnic composition of the Wisconsin WIC
  population.

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Review of WIC Food Packages

• USDA contracted with the Institute of Medicine
  (IOM) to independently review the WIC Food
  Packages.
• IOM reviewed the nutritional needs of the WIC
  population, and recommended cost-neutral changes
  to the WIC food packages.

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By the Summer of 2009 the New WIC Food Packages
will.
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Reinforce Nutrition Education Messages

• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Lower saturated fat
• Increase whole grains and fiber
• Drink less sweetened beverages and juice
• Babies are meant to be breastfed

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WIC Foods

• CURRENT
• WIC Formulas
• Milk
• Cereal (infant adult)
• Juice
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Dried Legumes/PB
• Tuna
• Carrots

• NEW REVISED
• Contains all the current
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Whole Wheat Bread or other Whole Grains
• Soy-Beverage
• Light Tuna, Salmon, Sardines
• Canned Legumes
• Infant foods

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Add Foods to Appeal to Diverse Populations

• Tortillas
• Brown rice
• Soy beverage (as available)
• Wide choice of fruits and vegetables for ethnic
  variety
• Canned salmon

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Revise Food Packages for Infants

• Formula amounts tied to feeding practice and age
  of infant
• Complementary foods delayed to 6 months
• Baby food fruits and vegetables for infants
• Baby food meat for fully breastfed babies

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Provide Breastfeeding Incentives and Support

• New changes in the WIC food packages help WIC
• more actively promote and support breastfeeding
• through the food packages provided to
• participants.

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Provide Breastfeeding Incentives and Support

• Fully breastfeeding mothers receive most variety
  and largest quantity of food, including 10
  cash-value voucher for fruits and vegetables.
• Fully breastfeeding infants gt 6 months receive
  larger quantities of baby food fruits and
  vegetables also baby food meat.

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New Food Packages for Partially Breastfeeding
Infants

• Compared to previous food packages, partially
  breastfed infants receive less infant formula to
  allow mothers to feed more breast milk to their
  infants.
• WIC helps protect mothers milk supply. No
  routine issuance of formula in first month, but
  can give 1 can powder formula.

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Add Fruits and Vegetables

• WIC checks with a maximum dollar amount (6, 8,
  or 10) for fruits and vegetables for children
  and women
• Fresh, frozen and canned

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Fruit and Vegetable Checks

• For use at authorized grocery stores
• Wisconsin looking at the option to authorize
  farmers at farmers markets to accept the
  cash-value voucher

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Add Whole Grains

• 100 whole wheat bread for children and women
• Whole Wheat/Whole Grain options
• Brown Rice
• Soft Corn Tortillas
• Whole Wheat Tortillas

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Require Whole Grain Cereals

• At least half of the cereals on our food list
  must be whole grain.

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Reduce Juice Allowance for Children and Women

• Reduces quantities of juice for children and
• women
• Amounts align with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines
  for Americans and recommendations of the American
  Academy of Pediatrics

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Reduce Dairy Allowances

• Eliminates cheese for children and most women

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Only Fat-Free to Reduced-Fat Milk

• Only skim, low-fat, or reduced-fat milk is
  authorized for women and children 2 years of age
  and older. (Whole milk with medical
  documentation)
• Only whole milk for ages 1 year olds

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Milk and Dairy Alternatives

• Soy-based beverage
• as made available
• Medical documentation required for children to
• receive soy-based beverage as alternatives to
  milk.

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Reduce Quantities of Eggs

• Reduces quantity of eggs to align with
• 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• 1 dozen eggs for most participants

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Add New Canned Fish for Fully Breastfeeding Women

• Continue to allow canned light tuna
• (no albacore)
• Add pink salmon
• (not a problem with mercury)

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Other ChangesLegumes

• Adds legumes (beans or peanut butter) to food
  package for postpartum women to improve the
  intake of iron, folate, Vitamin E, and fiber.
• Allows canned beans/peas to be substituted for
  dried beans/peas for all children and women.

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Next Steps

• Create awareness that new WIC food packages are
  coming in the fall of 2009
• Select foods that will be overall cost-neutral
  and easy to find
• Develop education materials
• Make changes to ROSIE and policies
• Train WIC staff starting in March 2009

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How You Can Help

• Share the messages with Participants
• A very good thing the WIC Program has waited
  years for this new rule
• WIC is now consistent with Dietary Guidelines for
  Americans and our nutrition messages
• WIC promotes and supports breastfeeding WIC is
  NOT a formula give-away program
• New foods will balance any loss or decrease in
  current foods
• Different amounts of infant formula during the
  first year matches the way babies eat (and is
  consistent with AAP Infant Feeding Guidelines)
  and they get baby foods

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The changes to the WIC food packages hold
potential for improving the nutrition and health
of the nations low-income pregnant women, new
mothers, infants, and young children. Institute
of Medicine, 2005
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Questions and Suggestions Patti Herrick, State
WIC Director 608-266-3821 Patti.herrick_at_wisconsin.
gov