WIC Food Packages……… Time For A Change

1. WIC Food Packages……… Time For A Change Karen Sell Arizona WIC Director Arizona Department of Health Services

2. It’s Time For A Change! • Since 1974 there have been many changes in: • The WIC Program and the population it serves; • The food supply and food consumption; • Diet –related health risks; • Nutrition knowledge; and • Dietary guidance.

3. Arizona WIC Program Facts • Provides services for 174,000 women, infants, and children each month. • Has over 101,000 Arizona families are currently enrolled. • Over 60 percent of the infants born in Arizona are on the WIC Program. • Purchases $ 7 million of food per month.

4. Opportunity • Help promote optimum growth and development for Arizona children. • Enhance WIC nutrition education • Better support breastfeeding • Increase access to healthy food especially in small stores • Strengthen partnerships with vendors and with other nutrition program and services for WIC families.

5. Making Meals More Nutritious • Fruits and Vegetables • Whole Grains • Breastfeeding • Dietary Guidance for Infants and Young Children • Saturated Fat • Participant Choice

6. Encourage Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables • Provide-cash-value voucher for fresh fruits and vegetables. • Processed options as alternatives (e.g., canned, frozen, dried) • Provide baby-food fruits and vegetables for older infants. • Reduce the amount of juice to match current recommendation.

7. Emphasize Whole Grains • Cereal must qualify as “whole grain” (using FDA definition of 51% whole grains). • Additional whole grain foods added to most packages. • A variety of whole grains recommended (whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, corn tortillas, etc.)

8. Provide Incentives for Breastfeeding • Provide less formula for partially breast-fed infants. • Discourage use of formula in the first month for breast-fed infants. • Increase the market value for fully breastfeeding mother and infant pairs.

9. Consistent with Current Dietary Guidance for Infants • Complimentary foods provided beginning at age six (6) months of age. • Juice eliminated in favor of baby food fruits and vegetables to promote healthy eating patterns. • Baby food meats provided to fully breast-fed infants after six (6) months of age to provide iron and zinc informs that are easily absorbed and utilized by the body.

10. Consistent with Current Dietary Guidance for Young Children • Juice limited to four (4) fluid ounces per day. • Whole fruits and vegetables added to provide additional nutritional benefits and build healthy eating patterns. • Fat-reduced milk (no more than 2% milk fat) provided for children two (2) years of age or older. • Whole milk is provided for one (1) year old children.

11. Lower Saturated Fat • Less cheese allowed as a milk substitute. • Milk must be reduced-fat, low fat, or non-fat for women and children over the age of two (2) years.

12. Increase Participant Choices • Wide selection of fruits and vegetables, including process of options • Variety of whole grain choices • More substitutes allowed for milk • Canned as well as dried beans permitted • Expanded choice of low mercury canned fish (salmon, tuna, sardines)

13. Nutrition Education • Tailored to optimize the effectiveness of the food package. • Food Choices; • Shopping; • Feeding infant and young children; and/or • Food storage, preparation, and safety.

14. Impact • Participants • Local WIC Programs • State WIC Programs • Retail Stores • Food Manufacturers

15. Participants • More diverse and balanced food packages; • Greater variety and choice; • Choices consistent with Dietary Guidelines for Americans; • More culturally appropriate foods; • Supports improved nutrient intakes; and • Addresses nutrition-related concerns (e.g. obesity, low breastfeeding rates).

16. Local WIC Programs • Opportunity to re-connect nutrition education to WIC foods; • Enhances breastfeeding support activities; • Greater flexibility to prescribe foods that are culturally appropriate or that better address health concerns of the participant; and • Responsible for staff training on new foods and promotion of food packages to participants.

17. State WIC Programs • Opportunity to focus nutrition education of WIC foods; • More flexibility to authorize appropriate foods; • Continue to have flexibility to select foods for the State food list within the Federal Rule. • Responsible for planning and implementing the new Food Package Rule within existing resources.

18. Retail Stores • Under the new rules, WIC vendors are required to: • Stock new WIC foods, including at least two varieties of fruits, two varieties of vegetables, and at least one whole grain cereal. (Different minimums may be established.) • Transact and process cash-value vouchers for fruit and vegetables. • Change quantities of current foods. • Ensure that staff are trained and that revisions are made to operations.

19. Food Manufacturers • New minimum nutrient requirements and specifications for WIC-eligible foods, i.e. • Soy beverage • Whole wheat and whole grain bread • Whole grain cereal • Fruits and vegetables • Infant foods • Canned fish • Create new opportunities for WIC customers

20. Conclusion • The WIC Program and its partners can lead the way in helping low-income families make meals more nutritious.

21. Conclusion, continued • Benefits will be life-long, in terms of changing food intake patterns and healthier diets.

22. Conclusion, continued • The changes will help make a good program become even better.