Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) seeks to protect the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at risk for malnutrition by offering supplemental foods that are nourishing, nutrition education, and referrals to medical care and other services.

Who gets the first priority for participation?

·    Women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, and babies who are identified as being at nutritional risk due to major medical issues infants younger than 6 months old whose moms were WIC participants or might have been participants but had major health issues.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended the first major changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages in 35 years in 2006, and state agencies implemented them in 2009 as a result of the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) 2007 interim regulation.

Adaptation to the 2009 Food Package Implementation: State and municipal governments, suppliers, and manufacturers were mainly able to adjust; some ongoing issues are connected to market sizes. The viability of possible food packaging modifications from the perspectives of governments, local agencies, suppliers, and manufacturers is crucial for successful implementation. There is evidence that focused nutrition education prior to food packaging modifications can result in favourable behaviour change. This method might be used for future food packaging revisions at the state level.

Changes in Breastfeeding Prevalence: WIC participants are less likely to breastfeed than other low-income moms. The evidence is equivocal as to whether the 2009 food packaging modifications influenced breastfeeding decisions.

Changes in WIC Participation: WIC membership has been falling since 2010, however the percentage of participants by food package category has stayed steady. The underlying reason for the reduction is unknown; however, it is unrelated to the 2009 food packaging revisions. Attention should be paid to retaining the program's usefulness and lowering participation obstacles. Because children aged 1 to less than 5 years make up the bulk of WIC participants, modifications to this meal package (IV) will have the biggest impact on total programme food expenses.

Food Expenditures of WIC Participants: WIC subsidies cover a significant portion of food expenses for participating households. Despite certain limitations in the data, the new research reveals that WIC-participating households spend more on WIC food products than other low-income households.

Changes in Dietary Guidance: Since the IOM 2006 review, significant adjustments have been made to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, advice for those under the age of 2, and Dietary Reference Intakes. The specifications and serving sizes of the foods in the WIC food packages may be affected by these modifications.