Wic Supplemental Nutrition Program

Most people are well aware that the federal government runs a food stamp program that allows low-income residents access to free groceries. However, the government also regulates a program called WIC, which is short for women's, infants and children. WIC is a supplemental nutrition program that was established in 1972 by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

History

• The WIC program was specifically designed for women and their children. The government was concerned that low-income mothers were not getting proper nutrition during their pregnancy. WIC was established to improve birth outcomes that would save in health care costs. The program was also established with the intention of having an impact on the quality of children's diets.

Effects

• The WIC program works by providing participates with vouchers that they use at authorized stores. There are currently more than 46,000 merchants nationwide that will accept WIC vouchers. With the vouchers, participants can purchase certain types of food. These foods include iron-fortified infant milk and cereal, eggs, milk, cheese, canned fish, peanut butter, dried beans and vitamin-C rich fruit and whole grains.

Eligibility Requirements

• There are certain categories of women, infants and children that are eligible to receive WIC benefits. Women who are pregnant and children up to 5 years old can qualify if they meet the income-eligibility requirements. Households of two that have an annual income of less than $26,955 are eligible to receive WIC. A household of three must make less than $33,874 and a household of four must bring in below $40,793. Individuals who are already receiving benefits from the government such as food stamps or Medicaid automatically qualify to receive WIC.

High Risk Participants

• The WIC program is also designed for individuals deemed a nutrition risk. There are two major types of nutrition risk. The first are individuals with medically based risk such as being underweight, anemia or a woman with pregnancy complications. The second is a dietary risk. This type of risk is a household that is failing to meet the dietary guidelines of appropriate nutrition practices.

Considerations

• According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are more than 8.2 million people that receive WIC benefits each month. Since the program was instituted, the number of users has continued to grow and dependency on the program has shot up dramatically. In 2009, the United States congress designated $6.86 billion to be used for the WIC program. That number has continued to rise.