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Background 

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for 

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides 

supplemental foods to over 9 million 

participants. The WIC food packages provide 

supplemental foods designed to meet the special 

nutritional needs of low-income pregnant, 

breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum 

women, infants and children up to five years of 

age who are at nutritional risk. 

In 2009, USDA introduced a new set of food 

packages based on recommendations from the 

Institute of Medicine. The new food packages 

align with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for 

Americans and infant feeding practice guidelines 

of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The 

food packages better promote and support the 

establishment of successful, long-term 

breastfeeding, provide WIC participants with a 

wider variety of foods including fruits and 

vegetables and whole grains, and provide WIC 

State agencies greater flexibility in prescribing 

food packages to accommodate the cultural food 

preferences of WIC participants. 

The WIC program is administered by 90 WIC 

State agencies, including the 50 States, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, four 

territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern 

Mariana Island, and U.S. Virgin Islands), and 34 

Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO’s). Each is 

responsible for identifying food items eligible 

for each food package; assigning food packages 

to participants consistent with their eligibility 

category; and issuing foods or food instruments 

to participants. 

This study describes some of the choices State 

agencies made as they exercised the flexibility 

offered during the implementation and describes 

the resulting food packages. 

Objectives 

Research questions defined for this study 

include: 

 How did WIC State agencies respond to 

optional provisions of the interim rule? 

 What specific foods did WIC State 

agencies include in the revised food 

packages? 

 How did the included foods change with 

implementation of the interim rule? 

Findings

Many, but not all, of the optional provisions of 

the interim rule were widely adopted by WIC 

State agencies. For example, of the 90 WIC 

State agencies for which data are available: 

Whole Grain Alternatives to 100% Whole 

Wheat Bread (see Map 1): 

 81 authorize brown rice (47 States, 34 

ITO’s/Territories)

 74 authorize tortillas (43 States, 31 

ITO’s/Territories)

 39 allow three types of whole grains (26 

States, 13 ITO’s/Territories) 

Foods Authorized: 

 38 authorize processed forms of vegetables 

(i.e. frozen and canned) in addition to fresh 

(21 States, 17 ITO’s/Territories) 

 35 authorize processed forms of fruits (i.e. 

frozen and canned) in addition to fresh (21 

States, 14 ITO’s/Territories) 

 27 allow 3 types of canned fish (17 States, 

10 ITO’s/Territories) 

Cash Value Voucher Redemption Policies: 

 55 authorize clients to pay the difference if 

fruits and vegetables exceed the Cash 

Value Voucher (38 States, 17 

ITO’s/Territories) 

WIC FOOD PACKAGES POLICY OPTIONS STUDY 

SUMMARY

Office of Research and Analysis June 2011 
 15 authorize purchase of fruits and 

vegetables at farmers markets with Cash 

Value Vouchers (14 States, 1 

ITO/Territory) 

Adoption of Specific Foods: 

 74 allow all milk fat contents except for 

whole milk for women and children age 2+ 

(44 States and 30 ITO’s/Territories) 

 62 allow 10 to 25 whole grain breakfast 

cereals (37 States, 25 ITO’s/Territories) 

Summary

The WIC food packages implemented in 

October 2009 are substantially different from 

those of earlier years. WIC State agencies now 

have the ability to offer a variety of food options 

to better meet the needs and health of WIC 

participants. The addition of fruits, vegetables, 

whole grains (which were widely implemented), 

and elimination of whole milk for women and 

older children is expected to have a large impact 

on WIC participants’ dietary intakes. 

Map 1―Whole Grain Alternatives to Whole-Wheat Bread, October 2009 

Download full report at www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/WIC/WIC.htm and public use data files at 

www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/WIC/WIC.htm.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, WIC Food Packages 

Policy Options Study by Nancy Cole, Jessica Jacobson, Ira Nichols-Barrer, and Mary Kay Fox. 

Project Officer, Dr. Joseph F. Robare. Alexandria, VA: June 2011. 

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