According to WIC clinic manager Dianne C. Esplin, the cash voucher for fruits and vegetables in each food package is a new feature, a change from the old menu which included only imported fruits and vegetables.
“The best thing about the new food menu is that it is being customized to suit the needs of our beneficiaries,” Esplin said.
She said the fresh fruits and vegetables are redeemable at authorized Farmers Market vendors and WIC-approved stores.
WIC has started issuing vouchers, but the new food packages will be redeemable beginning Oct. 1, 2009.
The food packages for WIC beneficiaries amount to about $60 a month.
Esplin said under the new food packages, mothers-to-be, mothers, and mothers who are partially breastfeeding their babies will get $8 cash value voucher for vegetables and fruits in their packages. Mothers who are breastfeeding their babies get $10 cash value vouchers while children get $6 cash value vouchers.
The new food menu under the mom and baby category are lower in fat and higher in fiber, designed to provide appropriate nutrients for both mother and child and helps the mother promote steady weight loss and maintain a healthy weight after delivery. For moms, the package includes grains, dairy and protein. For babies, the package includes infant formula, cereals and baby foods at six months of age.
Packages for formula feeding mothers and the baby contain foods that help mothers maintain her strength to care for her baby. It includes grains (cereal), frozen vitamin C-rich juices, dairy and protein, infant formula for the baby, cereal and baby foods at six months of age.
Breastfeeding mothers get food packages that support breast milk supply, improve the variety of foods available and promote steady weight loss after delivery. It also includes grains, dairy and protein. Babies get iron-fortified infant cereal, baby food meats, fruits and vegetables at six months of age.
The new food packages for moms-to-be are lower in fat and higher in fiber and contains food to promote healthy weight gain for the mother and the baby. It includes grains, vitamin C-rich juices, dairy and protein.
Food packages for children include a variety to help with picky eating habits and help maintain a healthy weight for children. It includes grains, vitamin C-rich juices, dairy and protein.
Esplin earlier said that the change in the food packages for the WIC participants has “long been overdue.”
She said the new food menu is a welcome change after its creation 30 years ago.
