USDA Accepts Comments on Changes to WIC Program
March 2, 2010
USDA Accepts Comments on Changes to WIC Program
In comments to USDA, the National Milk Producers Federation supported efforts to update the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages to reflect current nutrition science. However, NMPF disagreed with USDA’s decision to require any changes in the program to be cost-neutral.
As NMPF stated in comments on the proposed rule, this would result in food packages that are based as much or more on cost as on science. In particular, NMPF felt the reductions in the amount of cheese that could be substituted for milk in the food packages were ill advised. Likewise, NMPF also believed that the Department’s interim rule failed to provide a healthy and popular proposed improvement in the WIC program in the decision to not include yogurt in the food packages, as had been recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
