Shaheen Joins Letter Urging USDA to Assist Working Households Entry Wholesome Meals by Updating Particular Supplemental Vitamin Program for WIC Meals Packages

March 02, 2022

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to problem revised WIC meals packages beneath the proposed rule, Particular Supplemental Vitamin Program for Girls, Infants and Kids: Revisions within the WIC Meals Packages.

WIC is without doubt one of the most profitable federally funded vitamin applications within the nation, bettering dietary and well being outcomes for roughly 6 pregnant and postpartum girls, infants, and youngsters as much as age 5. The letter requests that the proposed rule revise the WIC meals packages to align with dietary suggestions from the Nationwide Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Drugs (NASEM) by permitting beneficiaries to buy extra fruits, greens, and lower-mercury seafood and imposing stronger requirements for entire grains, sugar content material, calcium, and protein.

“With meals costs rising, many households are extra reliant than ever on WIC and different federal vitamin applications to place wholesome meals on the desk. Extra youngsters are benefitting from WIC, with a 7.5 % nationwide enhance in youngster participation because the starting of the pandemic,” the Senators wrote. “…We subsequently urge USDA to promulgate a regulation that features the issuance of advantages that may incorporate fruits, greens, and lower-mercury seafood at quantities above NASEM’s cost-neutral suggestions in a way in line with the scientific foundation of NASEM’s assessment.”

They continued: “We urge USDA to behave expeditiously to promulgate a proposed rule that may improve the well being of low-income girls and youngsters.  We recognize your well timed consideration to our request.”

The total textual content of the letter is obtainable right here or beneath:

 Pricey Secretary Vilsack:

Thanks to your ongoing work to deal with vitamin insecurity and enhance entry to nutritious meals as a way to boost long-term well being outcomes, together with via the Particular Supplemental Vitamin Program for Girls, Infants, and Kids (WIC). As one of many largest meals help applications within the nation, with the strongest vitamin requirements throughout federal applications, WIC is a confirmed and efficient vitamin intervention that improves dietary and well being outcomes for six.1 million pregnant and postpartum girls, infants, and youngsters as much as age 5.

To additional enhance WIC individuals’ entry to wholesome meals, we urge the Division to take swift motion to problem the proposed rule, Particular Supplemental Vitamin Program for Girls, Infants and Kids: Revisions within the WIC Meals Packages, in an effort to problem revised WIC meals packages that construct on the suggestions by the Nationwide Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Drugs (NASEM). We’re dissatisfied that the proposed rule has now been delayed twice from projected publication dates in August and December 2021.

The final assessment of the WIC meals packages occurred in 2009 and considerably shifted the accessible WIC meals to align with meals patterns within the Dietary Pointers for People (DGAs). The 2009 revisions launched fruits, greens, and entire grains to the WIC meals packages, leading to improved dietary high quality and selection, particularly for kids. More healthy choices supplied via WIC resulted in improved well being outcomes, with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) measuring an total discount in childhood weight problems amongst WIC-enrolled toddlers after the 2009 meals package deal revisions.  We imagine that the upcoming proposed rule, if based mostly on the NASEM suggestions, will make further important enhancements for our nation’s susceptible girls and youngsters.

As required beneath the Wholesome, Starvation-Free Youngsters Act of 2010, the WIC meals packages had been reviewed by an unbiased skilled panel of NASEM, which issued its last report in 2017. USDA took the constructive step to make sure that the 2020-2025 DGAs are largely in line with the NASEM’s suggestions. Nonetheless, the NASEM panel was charged by USDA to develop cost-neutral suggestions. Of their report, NASEM famous that funding constraints significantly restricted their means to suggest quantities of fruits, greens, and seafood at ranges that might finest align WIC individuals’ weight loss program patterns with the perfect science and the suggestions of organizations such because the World Well being Group.

We be aware that in recent times, the present meals package deal laws restricted WIC beneficiaries from buying meals within the quantities and selection anticipated by the appropriations supplied for this system. Within the fiscal yr 2021 omnibus laws, for instance, $1.25 billion in unspent fiscal yr 2020 meals funding was returned to the Treasury.

For these causes, we subsequently urge USDA to promulgate a regulation that features the issuance of advantages that may incorporate fruits, greens, and lower-mercury seafood at quantities above NASEM’s cost-neutral suggestions in a way in line with the scientific foundation of NASEM’s assessment.

Particularly, we urge you to make sure that the brand new proposed rule consists of: elevated fruit and vegetable advantages; elevated lower-mercury seafood choices as a definite meals class throughout youngster and grownup meals packages on a month-to-month foundation with out a rotating substitution with legumes and peanut butter; further package deal measurement choices, significantly for yogurt and grains; a further substitution sample, together with the choice for folks to buy recent fruit and veggies instead of jarred toddler meals to advertise higher selection for folks; and stronger requirements for entire grains, sugar content material, calcium, and protein in order that WIC-approved meals help WIC households in reaching DGA-recommended weight loss program patterns.

With meals costs rising, many households are extra reliant than ever on WIC and different federal vitamin applications to place wholesome meals on the desk. Extra youngsters are benefitting from WIC, with a 7.5 % nationwide enhance in youngster participation because the starting of the pandemic. The excellent 2017 NASEM report is a robust basis for added steps that USDA can take to boost the dietary worth of WIC meals packages by growing common entry to wholesome meals like fruits, greens, and lower-mercury fish to advertise weight loss program patterns which might be even additional aligned with NASEM’s suggestions and the DGAs.

We urge USDA to behave expeditiously to promulgate a proposed rule that may improve the well being of low-income girls and youngsters.  We recognize your well timed consideration to our request. 

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