Federal food program to add fresh produce

WASHINGTON – Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are being added to grocery lists for low-income mothers and their children under a federal program that helps feed more than half the babies in the U.S.

The foods will be covered by the Women, Infants and Children program under changes proposed Friday.

WIC pays about $35 monthly per participant for staples such as juice, eggs, cheese and milk, but the program will pay for fewer of those products to cover the new foods’ cost.

The revisions follow the advice of the federally chartered Institute of Medicine, which said the WIC program needs to reflect changes in science and society since it was created three decades ago.

The addition of fruits, vegetables and whole grain products also tracks changes last year to the government’s own dietary guidelines.

“The WIC food package has not been revised or updated since 1980,” said Kate Coler, the Agriculture Department deputy undersecretary who oversees the program. “We thought it was a prudent time to have a scientific review of the package.”

The department aims to add the new foods without changing the overall cost.

The shopping list has gone largely unchanged since WIC began in the 1970s. In the meantime, food availability has grown, obesity has become a major public health threat and WIC itself has grown dramatically, reaching 8 million people nationwide.

Anti-hunger advocates are enthusiastic about the changes.

“Overall, we’re really happy about this food package. We think for WIC clients, this is going to make a huge difference,” said Geri Henchy, director of early childhood nutrition at the Food Research and Action Center.

Hunger groups expressed some disappointment over the Agriculture Department’s decision to pay for fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended by the institute.

The program would pay for $6 worth of fruits and vegetables for children and $8 for women. These totals are about $2 less than the institute recommended, keeping the program’s cost unchanged from current levels.

Under the WIC program, people receive vouchers or food checks that can be redeemed at stores for infant formula and specific foods worth about $35 a month, depending on who is receiving the food. People can be at or slightly above the federal poverty level, depending on the state. A family of four with yearly income averaging $37,000 would qualify.