WIC Program

Overview

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as the WIC Program, is the country’s third largest food assistance program, even though the food it provides is intended to be supplemental, rather than to serve participants’ total nutrition needs. Its mission is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk.  The premise underlying the WIC Program is that early intervention during critical times of a child’s growth and development can help prevent future developmental or medical problems

In addition to providing supplemental food to those at nutritional risk, the Program also requires WIC agencies to provide nutrition education and, as appropriate, to make referrals to health and social service agencies. Studies of the WIC Program have shown that it positively influences participants’ health, as well as the health of others.

For the first time in WIC’s thirty-five year history, the regulations concerning the food packages—the food provided to participants—have been revised significantly. The revised food packages now give participants greater access to fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as whole grain cereal and bread. As states throughout the country work to implement the new federal regulations, advocates and other interested persons and organizations have numerous options for influencing the implementation of the regulations and developing nutrition education materials and programs.

Select Resources

Food and Nutrition Services, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, About WIC: WIC at a Glance (background information, factsheets, studies, reports on WIC)

• Economic Research Service, The WIC Program: Background, Trends, and Issues (Sept. 2002).  (excellent overview of WIC program with lengthy compilation of articles and related materials)
• Institute of Medicine, Time for a Change (Apr. 2005).
• National Agricultural Library, WIC Works website (includes links to “FitWIC” lessons learned and recommendations and WIC educational materials from other states).
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fit WIC: Programs to Prevent Childhood Overweight in Your Community Final Report (May 2005),
• Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Innovative WIC Practices: Profiles of 20 Programs (June 2004) (detailing twenty different programs that are not necessarily the most effective programs, but may be worthy of future consideration and, possibly, replication).
• Institute of Medicine, Report Brief:  Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity (2009).