Given a choice, they’d opt for more produce over the juice currently offered.Īu said maintaining the new higher produce benefit could retain more participants in the program. When Au surveyed California families in 2019 more than half said they wanted more money toward fruits and vegetables. “This allows them to choose any type of fruits and vegetables that are part of their culture.” “When we're thinking of WIC where they can have a very culturally diverse audience,” Au said. In 2009, WIC added a monthly sum to spend on fruits and vegetables and it has become one of the most popular parts of the program, in part because it gives participants the greatest amount of choice. For a family of three, that’s $40,626 a year.Įach month WIC participants get certain foods, including grains, dairy, peanut butter and eggs for free. The income cap for WIC is slightly higher - below 185% of the federal poverty level. The program was created in 1972 amid concern about malnutrition in America's low-income families.Īnyone in those categories who qualifies for CalFresh can enroll in WIC, but not everyone who qualifies for WIC can access CalFresh. ![]() She’s also an assistant professor of nutrition at UC Davis and has studied WIC. “More importantly, it provides them with really important vitamins, and minerals that you find in having all different colors of fruits and vegetables,” said nutritionist Lauren Au. Introducing kids to a wide range of foods when they are young can shape their diet as they grow up.
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