Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - WIC Food Package Update, FY25 Appropriations for Breastfeeding Letter Delivered, & more

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - WIC Food Package Update, FY25 Appropriations for Breastfeeding Letter Delivered, & more

4/12/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Coalition Letter Calling for Increased Funding for Breastfeeding in Fiscal Year 2025 Delivered to Policymakers
- Recording Available for Launch Event of the U.S. BMS and CF Marketing Country Report
- Upcoming Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool
- Call for Applications: Join a USBC Committee
- USBC Supports...
International News
- UNICEF Strategic Framework Report on Improving Maternal Nutrition
National News
- Final Rule on WIC Food Package Updates
- CLASP Fact Sheet on the Child Care and Development Block Grant Allocations
- Research Brief on a Business Case for Paid Leave
State & Community News
- California Bill Introduced to Expand Insurance Coverage of Donor Milk
- Alabama Bill Introduced to Exempt Baby Items & Breastfeeding Supplies From Sales Tax
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

denotes a USBC member organization news item denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

USBC Updates

Coalition Letter Calling for Increased Funding for Breastfeeding in Fiscal Year 2025 Delivered to Policymakers

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee delivered an organizational sign-on letter calling for increased funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item to House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee members. The letter, signed by 131 organizations, calls for the committee to direct $20M to the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program. This funding level, $10.25M above Fiscal Year 2024, represents a critical course correction in national investment in the health, safety, and well-being of infants and young children. We will continue to accept additional signers on the letter in preparation for delivery to the full House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the coming months.

Recording Available for Launch Event of the U.S. BMS and CF Marketing Country Report

The recording for the "Breast Milk Substitutes and Complementary Foods Marketing in the United States: Launch of the 2024 Country Report" webinar is now available. Developed by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), the BMS and CF Marketing indexes assess the marketing policies of the 20 largest baby food companies globally. As a compliment to this work, ATNI also conducts country studies that assess the companies' practices on the ground. This webinar was the launch event for the United States BMS and CF Marketing country report and featured a discussion with Kimarie Bugg, CEO and Change Leader of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, on the impact of BMS and CF marketing on families and communities, and with Jennifer Pomeranz, Associate Professor of Public Health Policy and Management at the NYU School of Global Public Health, on legally-feasible pathways to address marketing practices in the U.S.

Upcoming Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee data survey tool, "Infant Feeding in the U.S", is live and organizations are invited to participate. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USBC is using the "Rebel.Science" platform to host this simple survey tool and support maternal and child health stakeholders in collecting timely and accurate data on infant feeding at the organizational, state, and national levels. Organizations are able to brand the survey with their own logo and images and distribute the five-question multiple choice survey to their clients who have given birth within the past six months. The tool is a great resource for clinician offices, Healthy Start sites, WIC clinics, and all direct service organizations working with postpartum families. As more organizations engage, survey hosts will be able to compare their (de-identified) results with other participating organizations. In collaboration with the designers at Rebel.Science, the USBC is hosting technical assistance (TA) sessions to help organizations launch their survey. Join us to get your data project off to a great start and answer any questions. Register below:

Call for Applications: Join a USBC Committee

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is accepting applications for committee service. Working with a USBC committee provides an opportunity to lead, learn new skills, and experience the joy of governance rooted in inclusion and innovation. Volunteers provide critical recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding membership, finances, operationalizing equity, and beyond. Express your interest via the form and our team will reach out when a committee has an opening.

The following committees are open solely to USBC member organization representatives:

Finance & Audit Committee
Membership Engagement Committee
Nominating Committee

The following committees are open to all interested individuals:

Conference Program Committee (Please note, the 2024 cohort has already been identified.)
CRASH Committee (DEI)
Sustainability & Vitality Committee (We aim to launch this new fundraising committee in 2024!)

Visit the USBC Committee webpage to learn about the work of each group. We hope you'll join us because together, we do great things!

USBC Supports...

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP):

International News

UNICEF Strategic Framework Report on Improving Maternal Nutrition

UNICEF released "Improving Maternal Nutrition: An Acceleration Plan to Prevent Malnutrition and Anaemia during Pregnancy." The publication is a strategic framework for reaching 16 million girls and women across 16 countries with a package of essential nutrition services by the end of 2025. The goal of the strategic framework is to protect and promote diets, services, and practices that support optimal nutrition for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Media highlights include:

UNICEF USA: "UNICEF Launches Multi-Country Push To Improve Maternal Nutrition"

National News

Final Rule on WIC Food Package Updates

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the "Final Rule: Revisions in the WIC Food Packages (2024)." The final rule updates the food packages prescribed in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which include foods and beverages specifically designed to fill in key nutritional gaps to support healthy growth and development. This final rule considers public comments submitted in response to the proposed rule published in 2022, aligns the food packages with current nutrition recommendations, and supports equitable access to nutritious foods during crucial life stages. The changes incorporate evidence-based recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. The final rule increases formula amounts in the first month for partially (mostly) breastfed infants; allows all prescribed infant formula quantities to be considered "up to" amounts; and creates a separate and enhanced food package for partially (mostly) breastfeeding participants. Increasing the amount of infant formula in the first month for partially (mostly) breastfed infants is intended to encourage participants in the early postpartum period to try to breastfeed or extend breastfeeding duration by providing flexibility to tailor formula amounts based on an individual nutrition and breastfeeding assessment. This change is intended to prevent the premature categorization of an infant as "fully formula fed" and a mother as "postpartum" and allow the mother to receive the partially (mostly) breastfeeding food package to support nutritional needs and breastfeeding goals. Media highlights include:

National WIC Association:
- "New WIC Food Package Social Media Toolkit"
- "USDA Finalizes Changes to WIC Food Packages; National WIC Association Calls for Swift Implementation"
U.S. Department of Agriculture: "Biden-Harris Administration Announces Finalized Science-Driven Updates to Foods Provided Through WIC"

CLASP Fact Sheet on Child Care and Development Block Grant Allocations

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) released the "CCDBG FY2024 State-by-State Appropriations Distribution Estimates and Increases" fact sheet. The fact sheet discusses the allocations of the recently passed Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 for fiscal year 2024, which included a significant funding level increase to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and slight funding for Head Start and other important child care and early education programs. The resource provides a table that breaks down the appropriations distribution estimates and increases by state.

Research Brief on a Business Case for Paid Leave

The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center released the "A Business Case for Paid Leave Policies" research brief. The brief outlines the impact of paid family and medical leave policies on the labor force and businesses, highlighting the positive benefits it has on employers, including increasing labor force participation and improving employee retention. The resource also discusses steps states are taking in policy design to address employer concerns.

State & Community News

California Bill Introduced to Expand Insurance Coverage of Donor Milk

California Assemblymember Weber introduced Calfirnia bill AB-3059 Human milk. The bill would specify that a general acute care hospital is not required to have a license to operate a tissue bank to store or distribute pasteurized human milk that was obtained from a mothers' milk bank and would require health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies to cover the same health benefits for human milk and human milk derivatives covered under the Medi-Cal program.

Alabama Bill Introduced to Exempt Baby Items & Breastfeeding Supplies From Sales Tax

Alabama Representative Rafferty introduced Alabama House Bill 236. The bill would provide a state sales and use tax exemption for purchases of baby formula, baby bottles, baby wipes, breast milk pumping equipment, breast pumps, diapers, maternity clothing, and menstrual hygiene products and would allow local governments to adopt exemptions for these items.