New WIC Food Packages for Fruits & Vegetables
Uploaded by
Patricia DillonNew WIC Food Packages for Fruits & Vegetables
Uploaded by
Patricia DillonNew Healthy WIC Food Packages
Farmers’ Markets Can Play a Key Role
In Providing Fruits and Vegetables
The new WIC food packages improve the health and Farmers’ Markets and Roadside Stands
nutritional quality of the foods in the program and in
neighborhoods, increase participants’ choice and expand • For the first time, State agencies have the option to
cultural food options by offering fruits, vegetables, and other authorize farmers at farmers’ markets and roadside
new foods. stands to accept WIC vouchers for fruits and
vegetables.
The recommendations sent in the many comment letters on
the proposed regulations helped USDA to strengthen the • USDA adopted the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
regulations it issued on December 6, 2007 compared to the definition of farmer: “ an individual authorized by the
prior proposal. Here is a summary of the rules for fruits and State agency to sell eligible fruits and vegetables to
vegetables: participants at a farmers’ market or roadside stand.
Individuals who exclusively sell produce grown by
someone else, such as wholesale distributors, cannot
Fruits and Vegetables be authorized.”
• Participating women will receive WIC vouchers for • States can modify their WIC vendor agreement to
$8 for fruits and vegetables each month: children address the unique circumstances of farmers’
will receive $6 in fruit and vegetable vouchers. markets, allowing them to participate as seasonal
vendors and exempt them from stocking the full WIC
• Exclusively breastfeeding women, a small category package of foods, e.g. cereal.
of participants in WIC, will receive $10 in fruit and
vegetable vouchers each month. • States can enter into one agreement with the farmer
that includes the requirements for both the WIC and
• For infants age 6 to 12 months, fruits and vegetables WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs.
have been added in the form of 128 ounces of baby
food. • Farmers’ markets may be excluded from WIC
monitoring if they are monitored by the WIC
Farmers’ Market Program.
Allowable Fruits and Vegetables
• The WIC Farmers’ Market Program remains a
• All fruits and vegetables are allowed except white separate program and is unchanged by these new
potatoes. regulations.
• Fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are
allowed.
• Organic fruits and vegetables can be allowed if they
meet State product and price criteria.
WIC Participant Choice
• State agencies must allow participants to use their
WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers to choose any
WIC-eligible fruit and vegetable.
Fruit and Vegetable Cash Vouchers Next Steps
• The split in each state will be determined by the • The next step is to work with your State WIC agency
state agency based on what is “most beneficial to to help ensure the new changes in the WIC food
participants and cost effective within the WIC
package work “on the ground,” including in
redemption infrastructure and environment.” States
could provide three $2 fruit and vegetable vouchers communities where accessing healthy food often
to each child per month or one $6 voucher, or some raises unique challenges.
other breakout.
• Working with state WIC advisory councils (or
• Stores and farmers’ markets cannot give participants developing them in states where they do not
cash back for the unspent portion of a fruit and
currently exist) can provide information and
vegetable voucher.
recommendations to WIC agencies to help ensure
• Participants can pay the difference when the that clients benefit fully from the new fruits and
purchase of fruits and vegetables exceeds the value vegetables in the food package.
of the voucher.
• Share your ideas with the coalitions, associations
and organizations working on these issues.
Inflation Index
• The value of the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit will
keep up with inflation through an annual cost of Resources
living adjustment based on the Consumer Price
Index for Fruits and Vegetables. • Benefits in New York State’s WIC fruit & vegetable
demonstration project report:
[Link]
Implementation Timeline
wic/docs/vegetable_fruit_demo_project.pdf (When
this project was conducted, States couldn’t use
• States will have 18 months to plan and implement
farmers’ markets for the WIC program.)
the new WIC food packages from the effective date
of the regulations. This gives States the flexibility to
• Journal article on the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot in the
implement the new food packages any time in the
Public Health Foundation WIC program:
18 months between the effective date of February 4,
[Link]
2008 and the implementation deadline of August 5,
pdf (This project included Farmers’ Market.)
2009.
• FRAC’s table of the total value of the new fruit and
vegetable vouchers by state, fact sheets, and a link
to the new regulations/interim final rule:
[Link]
• State WIC agency contact information and other
useful USDA materials: [Link]
Prepared by Geri Henchy ghenchy@[Link]
Food Research and Action Center
