By House of Hope 4 Children | July 28, 2024 | Blog, Economic Security, Health, Racial Equity.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps women, infants, and children get a healthy start in life. This program is a lifeline for more than 115,000 parents, caregivers, and children in Kentucky, providing food benefits via an EBT card, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and more.
One of WIC's main goals is to ensure that moms and children receive the nutritious foods they need to grow and thrive. To achieve this goal, the USDA recently updated the WIC food package. This update increases the value of WIC benefits, offers families more flexibility to purchase nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, and reduces added sugar content.
WIC PROVIDES SUPPLEMENTAL FOODS, HEALTH CARE REFERRALS, NUTRITION EDUCATION, AND MORE TO ELIGIBLE WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN.
What's New:
Canned Fish and Beans: This update allows families to buy more protein-rich, non-perishable foods with WIC, such as canned beans and canned fish.
Fruits and Vegetables: WIC's fruit and vegetable benefit is getting a significant boost! Children aged 1-4 will now receive $24 per month, pregnant and postpartum women will receive $43 per month, and breastfeeding women will receive $47 per month.
Infant Foods: This update helps moms meet their breastfeeding goals by offering more flexibility on the amount of formula partially breastfeeding families can receive each month.
Juice Consumption: With the increase in the fruit and vegetable benefit, WIC will now limit juice allowances to 64 ounces to encourage fruit consumption and limit added sugars.
Milk and Dairy Products: This update gives families more options for the type and amount of milk they buy. Families will have more flexibility on package sizes and more options to buy non-dairy milk alternatives like soy milk and almond milk.
Whole Grains and Breakfast Cereals: Families can now use WIC to buy whole grains like quinoa, blue cornmeal, and naan. This change reflects new dietary guidelines and offers more flexibility to purchase culturally appropriate foods.
The Impact
By expanding food choices, aligning with current dietary guidelines, and accommodating cultural foods, the USDA aims to ensure that pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children have equitable access to the nutrition they need during these crucial stages of life.
House of Hope 4 Children is proud to support initiatives like these that align with our mission to ensure every child has access to nutritious food, education, and healthcare. Learn more about our work and how you can get involved at House of Hope 4 Children.
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