SUBSCRIBE | LOG IN TO THE FIRST FOOD CONNECTION HUB 
U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
  • USBC Membership
    • USBC Member Directory
    • Join USBC
    • Membership Benefits & FAQs
    • Membership Fee Schedules
    • Membership Interest Form & Affiliated Coalitions Directory Request Form
  • Policy & Actions
    • Constellation Work Groups >
      • Infant & Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Constellation
      • Disrupting Formula Marketing Constellation
      • Lactation Support Providers Constellation
      • Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Constellation
      • Workplace Support Constellation
    • Active Legislation
    • Breastfeeding Policy Map
    • Existing Legislation
    • Federal Policies, Programs, & Initiatives
    • PUMP Act >
      • The PUMP Act Explained
      • PUMP Act Implementation Resources
      • Know Your Rights-PUMP-Act--PWFA
    • Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding
    • Take Action
    • Letters & Public Comments
  • Resources
    • USBC Directories >
      • USBC Member Directory
      • Affiliated Coalitions Directory
    • Breastfeeding References
    • Breastfeeding Resources for Parents
    • Breastfeeding In Emergencies >
      • Infant Formula Recall and Shortage
    • Constellation Developed Resources
    • Image Gallery Access
    • Lactation Support Provider Training Directory >
      • Lactation Support Providers Pathways
    • Learning Opportunities
    • Monthly Observances
    • State Breastfeeding Reports
    • USBC Data Survey
  • News & Events
    • Annual Conference
    • Events Calendar
    • National Breastfeeding Month
    • USBC in the Media
    • USBC News & Blogs
    • Weekly Wire Newsletter
  • About Us
    • About the USBC
    • Explaining our "Why"
    • Our Team
    • Job Opportunities
    • Board of Directors
    • USBC Committees
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • History
    • Community Agreements & Guidelines
    • Annual Reports
    • Ways to Give
    • Contact Us
  • USBC Membership
    • USBC Member Directory
    • Join USBC
    • Membership Benefits & FAQs
    • Membership Fee Schedules
    • Membership Interest Form & Affiliated Coalitions Directory Request Form
  • Policy & Actions
    • Constellation Work Groups >
      • Infant & Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Constellation
      • Disrupting Formula Marketing Constellation
      • Lactation Support Providers Constellation
      • Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Constellation
      • Workplace Support Constellation
    • Active Legislation
    • Breastfeeding Policy Map
    • Existing Legislation
    • Federal Policies, Programs, & Initiatives
    • PUMP Act >
      • The PUMP Act Explained
      • PUMP Act Implementation Resources
      • Know Your Rights-PUMP-Act--PWFA
    • Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding
    • Take Action
    • Letters & Public Comments
  • Resources
    • USBC Directories >
      • USBC Member Directory
      • Affiliated Coalitions Directory
    • Breastfeeding References
    • Breastfeeding Resources for Parents
    • Breastfeeding In Emergencies >
      • Infant Formula Recall and Shortage
    • Constellation Developed Resources
    • Image Gallery Access
    • Lactation Support Provider Training Directory >
      • Lactation Support Providers Pathways
    • Learning Opportunities
    • Monthly Observances
    • State Breastfeeding Reports
    • USBC Data Survey
  • News & Events
    • Annual Conference
    • Events Calendar
    • National Breastfeeding Month
    • USBC in the Media
    • USBC News & Blogs
    • Weekly Wire Newsletter
  • About Us
    • About the USBC
    • Explaining our "Why"
    • Our Team
    • Job Opportunities
    • Board of Directors
    • USBC Committees
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • History
    • Community Agreements & Guidelines
    • Annual Reports
    • Ways to Give
    • Contact Us

uSBC News & Blogs

2023 archives
December
  • 12/4/2023: usbc stakeholder listening sessions: share your vision for achieving infant nutrition security
November 
  • 11/29/2023: USBC Membership meeting mission moment with dr. scott hartman
  • 11/22/2023: Reflections on Native American Heritage Month: a Conversation with kimberly moore-salas
  • 11/21/2023: 2023 Impact Report: breastfeeding policy priorities
  • 11/17/2023: USBC Interim EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENT
October
  • 10/30/2023: USBC Executive director transition announcement
September
  • 9/28/2023: using data to inform infant and young child feeding in emergency preparedness systems
  • 9/20/2023: Reviving identity caucuses at the usbc: we want to hear from you!
  • 9/19/2023: Reflecting on national breastfeeding month 2023 wins
August
  • 8/25/2023: FY24 appropriations: what recent senate bills mean for infant feeding
July
  • 7/28/2023: Fy24 appropriations: what the house and senate bills mean for infant feeding
  • ​7/25/2023: taking the time for celebration: the pump act and pwfa are law!
  • ​7/21/2023: news from the chair: change is good
march
  • 3/23/2023: fiscal year 2024 president's budget: what it means for the lactation field
  • 3/1/2023: renewing the usbc commitment to equity as we seek to grow the usbc membership network
february
  • ​2/16/2023: join the usbc welcome congress campaign!
  • ​2/15/2023: the u.s. breastfeeding committee launches the creating space scholarship
  • ​2/8/2023: open letter to congress: new research highlights critical need for strong policies to leverage the value of breastfeeding
january
  • ​1/12/2023: fy23 federal budget signed into law: what it means for infant feeding
  • ​1/6/2023: pump for nursing mothers act signed into law
2022 archives
december
  • 12/24/2022: pump for nursing mothers act will soon be signed into law
  • 12/8/2022: usda proposes new wic package
november
  • ​11/1/2022: the usbc membership steps into a new opportunity for connection: launching the first food connection hub & taking a mission moment with monica esparza
october
  • 10/27/2022: 2022 impact report: breastfeeding policy priorities
  • 10/24/2022: a closer look at the 2022 cdc breastfeeding report card
september
  • 9/29/2022: STATEMENT ON WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON HUNGER, NUTRITION, AND HEALTh
august
  • 8/24/2022: fy23 appropriations: what the senate bills mean for infant feeding
  • 8/18/2022: a consideration of choice (in the absence of systemic supports)*
​july
  • 7/14/2022: fy23 appropriations: what the house bills mean for infant feeding
june
  • 6/24/2022: the senate failed to pass the pump act on wednesday. that hurts. but it doesn't mean the fight is over.
  • 6/2/2022: the four pillars of infant nutrition security in the united states
​may
  • 5/19/2022: infant formula recall and shortage: resources
  • 5/13/2022: calling your senator about the pump act is easy! here's how.
january
  • 1/26/2022: call for proposals for the 2022 conference!
  • 1/3/2022: impact report: 2021 breastfeeding policy priorities
​
2021 archives
DECEMBER  
  • 12/9/2021: 2020 state and territory breastfeeding reports now available!
  • 12/3/2021: join usbc on our equity journey​
november
  • 11/12/2021: 2020 usbc annual report released!​​​​
october​
  • 10/22/2021: protecting parents, babies, public health, employers, and the economy: a bipartisan case for the pump for nursing mothers act
  • 10/22/2021: pump for nursing mothers act passes with bipartisan support in u.s. house of representatives
  • 10/20/2021: breaking news: the pump act is going to the house floor for a vote this friday
september
  • 9/30/2021: reflections on national preparedness month and the pandemic
  • 9/28/2021: join the nationwide pump act call-in day
  • ​9/27/2021: the house is voting on the pump act this week. join the week of action.
  • 9/26/2021: pump act week of action partner toolkit
  • 9/10/2021: reflections on national breastfeeding month 2021: every step of the way
august
  • 8/24/2021: 8 questions answered by the usbc policy team
july
  • 7/29/2021: Cdc awards usbc a five-year grant to coordinate a national approach to improve the infant feeding landscape
  • 7/22/2021: fiscal year 2022 house agriculture and dhs appropriations reports released
  • 7/16/2021: fiscal year 2022 house labor-hhs appropriations report released
may
  • 5/24/2021: reclaiming our tradition: aanhpi breastfeeding week 2021
2020 archives
AUGUST
  • 8/31/2020: celebrating #bbw20: revive. restore. reclaim!
  • 8/21/2020: native breastfeeding week is over, but the work continues
  • ​8/7/2020: happy national breastfeeding month! we are many voices united #nbm2020

USDA Proposes New WIC Package

12/8/2022

1 Comment

 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a proposal for changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages. The WIC program provides supplemental nutrition services to pregnant and postpartum women and children from birth to age five, serving nearly half of infants born in the U.S.

Why Are the WIC Food Packages Changing?
By law, WIC food packages are reevaluated through a comprehensive scientific review at least every ten years to ensure they remain aligned with nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns.

The proposed changes are intended to provide:
  • Participants with a broader variety of foods that align with the latest nutritional science;
  • State agencies with greater flexibility to prescribe and tailor food packages that accommodate participants’ special dietary needs and personal and cultural food preferences;
  • Equitable access to supplemental foods; and
  • Better promotion and support for individual breastfeeding goals of participants to help establish successful long-term breastfeeding.

​Learn more about the history of WIC food packages.

What is the Process for WIC Food Package Changes?
FNS tasked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) – then called the Institute of Medicine – with issuing recommendations on the WIC food packages. NASEM was tasked with recommending updated food packages that were cost-neutral with the current food packages, which means that any increases in the costs of components of the packages or allowed substitutions had to be balanced by corresponding decreases in costs elsewhere. In 2017, NASEM published its recommendations in the “Review of WIC Food Packages: Improving Balance and Choice: Final Report.” 

FNS policy experts considered the NASEM report alongside a range of other sources, including an independent review of the current WIC food packages and of the nutritional needs of those eligible for WIC; the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for America, which included new recommendations specifically for women who are pregnant, infants, and children under age 2 years; WIC redemption data; feedback from WIC participants, state and tribal partners, and other government agencies; and beyond. Taking all of this together, the FNS developed and released the “Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages” proposal in the Federal Register.

This is a proposal, not an implementation change that is already approved. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to submit written comments on the proposal by February 21, 2023. Once the comment period closes, FNS will use the submitted feedback to update their proposal and develop it into a final rule. FNS proposed that State agencies would have 18 months from the final rule's publication to implement the rule’s provisions.

What Does the NASEM Report Say About Lactation Outcomes?
The current program requires clients to select either the fully formula feeding or fully breastfeeding package during the first thirty days postpartum. After this thirty-day period, a partially breastfeeding package also becomes available. Public health experts and breastfeeding advocates thought that this would limit the risk of early supplementation, which can interfere with milk production, and result in increased breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among WIC families. Instead, the NASEM report found that this provision resulted in more women selecting the fully formula-feeding package.

As a result, NASEM now recommends that following a detailed assessment of the needs of the dyad by WIC staff, women should be permitted to receive the quantity of formula they need to support their desired level of breastfeeding, without waiting 30 days.

How Would Breastfeeding Packages Change Under This Proposal?
The proposed changes strengthen support for moms and babies across a wider range of breastfeeding options so that breastfeeding is not an all or nothing choice. The proposed rule creates a separate and enhanced food package specifically for mothers who are mostly, but not exclusively, breastfeeding to align with their higher calorie needs. The rule also proposes adding canned fish and higher benefits for purchasing fruits and vegetables to all breastfeeding food packages, and adds flexibility to the amount of formula provided for partially breastfed infants to better support individual breastfeeding goals.

How is the USBC Staff Seeing This Proposal?
The USBC staff is looking closely at the WIC food package proposal and closely considering what it could mean for the families and communities we serve.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the infant formula shortage have clearly demonstrated that our nation lacks the infrastructure needed to comprehensively protect and support infant nutrition security. Maternity care practices that hinder the establishment of breastfeeding are far too common. The majority of families do not have access to paid family and medical leave and many struggle to pump at work. Race and zip code significantly impact access to healthy foods and quality health care.

Given all that moms and parents are up against, it is critical that we recognize the reality and meet them where they are. Whether they are exclusively or partially human milk feeding, directly breastfeeding or pumping, parents and babies need and deserve our support. We are optimistic that this proposal from USDA would be a positive step forward.

How to Share Feedback on the Proposal
To respond to the public comment opportunity, visit the Federal Register webpage and select “Submit a Formal Comment.” Responding to public comment opportunities is not lobbying. The federal government is actively soliciting input to inform its decision-making, but comments will not be accepted after Tuesday, February 21.

1 Comment
Erin O'Reilly link
12/10/2022 12:37:57 pm

Thanks for alerting us to this important issue and giving us the links to comment on the proposed changes to the WIC food packages. I think offering more formula on the partially breastfeeding food packages will not help moms to breastfeed for longer. I commented that offering up to 2 years (or more) of either partially or fully breastfeeding food packages for the mother would do more to inspire longer duration of breastfeeding. WIC already spends too much on infant formula and too little on breastfeeding. This could be an opportunity to improve breastfeeding food packages INSTEAD OF offering and spending more on formula. Formula is already WIC biggest cost and WIC needs to extricate itself from being the biggest purchaser of formula! I would love to see other USBC members and USBC itself offer the recommendation on the proposed WIC food package changes to give breastfeeding moms more healthy foods and for longer, rather than more formula!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    April 2025
    December 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    August 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright U.S. Breastfeeding Committee.  All Rights Reserved.
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (773) 359-1549 | [email protected] | sitemap
QuestionPro's survey software plays a major role in helping us keep in touch with our alumni, volunteers, donors, employees, and other affiliates. Surveying them has helped strengthen our relationship.

Picture