Glossary

Term · California: Leave, Money, and Paperwork

WIC

Also: Women, Infants, and Children, WIC program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

A US government program that gives food benefits and breastfeeding help to low-income mothers and to young children.

In plain words

WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children. It is a federal program that helps families with low incomes buy healthy food. It also offers classes on nutrition and support for breastfeeding. Pregnant mothers, new mothers, and young children can qualify. Benefits pay for certain foods at approved stores. A local WIC office can check your eligibility. Mothers who breastfeed can get a larger , and some also get help with a breast pump. Each state runs its program within federal rules, so details can change.

The deeper version

WIC is administered by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service through state agencies and serves roughly half of US infants. Food packages are defined by federal regulation, with the 2014 rule aligning them with the Dietary Guidelines and expanding fruit, vegetable, and whole grain benefits. The Institute of Medicine's 2006 review WIC Food Packages: Time for a Change recommended the revisions that were later adopted. Breastfeeding support, including peer counselors and breast pumps for some participants, is a program component. Evaluation literature finds associations with improved birth outcomes and diet quality, though causal designs are limited and the program's effect on breastfeeding duration is an active research question.

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Sources

  • US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service — WIC Food Packages: Regulatory Requirements, final rule, 2014
  • Institute of Medicine — WIC Food Packages: Time for a Change, 2006
  • US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service — WIC Program Eligibility and Benefits, current guidance

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