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WIC mothers can now buy fruit
The grocery shopping list for the far-reaching Women, Infants and Children program is getting its first significant update since the 1970s. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are being added to the program, which helps feed more than half the babies born in the U.S. To cover the cost, WIC will pay for less of the juice, eggs, cheese and milk that have been staples of the program. ...
Adding fruits, vegetables and whole grain products follows changes last year to the government's dietary guidelines. ...The department aims to add the new foods without changing the overall cost.
... The government now encourages whole fruits rather than fruit juices, which can have more sugar and less fiber, in its dietary guidelines. ... [Predictably,] Juice makers said the juice reductions are much too severe. Allowing more juice would help ensure kids are getting the vitamin C they need and discourage kids from drinking soda or other sweetened drinks, said Jim Callahan, spokesman for Welch's.
... The program would pay for $6 worth of fruits and vegetables for children and $8 for women per month. [With one cantelooupe selling for $3, as is the case in off-peak season, six bucks does not buy a lot.] These totals are about $2 less than the institute recommended, keeping the program's cost unchanged from current levels. ... Final approval is expected next year. [For those who develop scurvy in the interim: tough luck.]