An official web site of the USA authorities
Official web sites use .gov
A .gov web site belongs to an official authorities group in the USA.
Safe .gov web sites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely related to the .gov web site. Share delicate data solely on official, safe web sites.
Help us improve USDA.gov
Proposed adjustments promote vitamin safety and maternal and youngster well being, enhance flexibility for contributors
Contact: USDA Press
E-mail: press@usda.gov
Washington, Nov. 17, 2022 – USDA’s Meals and Diet Service is asserting proposed adjustments to the meals prescribed to contributors within the Particular Supplemental Diet Program for Girls, Infants and Kids, often called WIC. These science-based revisions incorporate suggestions from the Nationwide Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medication (NASEM) and the Dietary Pointers for People, 2020-2025.
“USDA is dedicated to advancing maternal and youngster well being by means of WIC, serving to moms, infants and younger children thrive,” stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These proposed adjustments will strengthen WIC – already an extremely highly effective program – by guaranteeing it supplies meals that mirror the newest vitamin science to help wholesome consuming and brilliant futures.”
The WIC meals packages are particularly designed to complement the meals and drinks contributors already devour and fill in key dietary gaps to help wholesome development and growth. Meals and Diet Service, or FNS, is proposing changes to align the meals packages with the newest vitamin science and help equitable entry to nutritious meals throughout essential life levels.
Taken collectively, the adjustments will enhance the present degree of help whereas offering WIC state companies with extra flexibility to tailor the packages to accommodate private and cultural meals preferences and particular dietary wants and enhance selection and selection for WIC contributors, making this system extra interesting for present and potential contributors.
[Proposed Updates to the WIC Food Packages Infographic]
“For the greater than 6 million mothers, infants and younger youngsters who take part in WIC – and the tens of millions extra eligible to take part – these proposed revisions have the potential to make optimistic, life-long impacts on well being and well-being,” stated Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for meals, vitamin, and shopper companies.
The proposed revisions help fruit and vegetable consumption by rising the quantity offered and the varieties obtainable for buy. Congress beforehand carried out a big however momentary enhance to the profit offered to WIC contributors for buying vegatables and fruits. FNS proposes making that enhance everlasting, offering contributors with as much as 4 occasions the quantity they’d in any other case obtain. FNS additionally proposes revisions that give contributors a better number of fruits and veggies to select from and regulate the amount of juice to mirror vitamin steering, which emphasizes entire vegatables and fruits.
Different proposed adjustments embody, however usually are not restricted to:
These – and all the proposed adjustments – are based mostly on NASEM’s report, Assessment of WIC Meals Packages: Enhancing Stability and Selection, and the newest version of the dietary pointers. Revisions are additionally knowledgeable by the FDA-EPA Recommendation about Consuming Fish and suggestions from WIC contributors, state and tribal companions and different authorities companies.
FNS encourages all events to offer suggestions on the proposed adjustments by visiting www.regulations.gov. The remark interval shall be open from November 21, 2022 – February 21, 2023.
[WIC: Building Healthy Foundations Infographic]
WIC is without doubt one of the strongest, evidence-based public well being packages obtainable, with a protracted historical past of enhancing well being and developmental outcomes for kids. Individuals obtain specialised vitamin, key sources – together with vitamin training, breastfeeding help and immunization screening – and referrals to well being and social companies.
WIC can also be uniquely positioned to cut back racial disparities in maternal and youngster well being outcomes. WIC participation charges are highest amongst WIC-eligible Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black people, and the earlier updates to the WIC meals packages had been shown to help increase access (PDF, 248 KB) to more healthy meals for Hispanic and Latino WIC contributors.
Given this system’s confirmed advantages, FNS is dedicated to modernizing WIC to maximise its impression all through contributors’ total interval of eligibility. The division just lately introduced a number of major investments to modernize WIC, help innovation, and assist attain extra moms and younger youngsters. To study extra, go to the WIC Modernization & Innovation webpage.
USDA’s Meals and Diet Service works to finish starvation and enhance meals and nutrition security by means of a collection of greater than 15 nutrition assistance programs, corresponding to the college breakfast and lunch packages, WIC and SNAP. Collectively, these packages serve one in 4 People over the course of a yr, selling constant and equitable entry to wholesome, secure, and reasonably priced meals important to optimum well being and properly being. FNS additionally supplies science-based vitamin suggestions by means of the co-development of the Dietary Pointers for People. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights methods the company will help the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy (PDF, 776 KB), launched together with the historic White Home Convention on Starvation, Diet, and Well being in September 2022. To study extra about FNS, go to www.fns.usda.gov and observe @USDANutrition.
Extra Sources
#
USDA is an equal alternative supplier, employer, and lender.