Low Income Minnesota Mothers Can Now Have More Food Choices

For the first time in over 10 years, there are new guidelines pertaining to WIC, the program that aids low-income mothers and their babies or young children under age 5. These guidelines are getting an upgrade on the food they can access. 

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According to reports that were released yesterday by the Food and Nutrition Service, a wider variety of foods will be available for those who use the service, which will include more fruits and vegetables.  

Under the new plan, vouchers for children ages 1 to 4 will get $26 per month for fruits and vegetables, $47 per month for pregnant and postpartum women and $56 per month for women who are breast feeding.  

The changes will also expand access to whole grains but cuts back or eliminates funds for juice and milk. The recommendations are based on information from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.  

There was one area that was recommended to the N-A-S-E-M that was not added to the new guidelines, and that was adding peanut products to food. 

The proposal stated that by adding peanut products to foods for babies six to eleven months could help over 30,000 children possibly would not have peanut allergies as they got older.  

A group of top allergy doctors around the county made the request for the new WIC guidelines. And those doctors believe that the number of children who will have food allergies will continue to grow in the future.  

Last year the WIC program served over six and a half million Americans per month at a cost of $7 billion dollars. The WIC program specifically lists the types of foods that mothers can purchase for themselves and their children.