Improving the WIC program
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is designed to provide nutrition education and to increase the intake of key nutrients for a population with special nutritional needs. Picture a grocery store clerk telling a mother that she cannot use the WIC vouchers provided by USDA to purchase fresh, white potatoes but any other fruit or vegetable in the grocery store is acceptable. Think of the message that sends about the nutritional value of a potato. Although she could buy the same potato with a voucher at a farmer’s market, until Congress acted last year, grocery store potatoes were off limits
On Dec. 16, 2014, President Obama signed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, into law. The law authorizes funding for most of the federal government through Sept. 30, 2015 and includes direction from Congress on fresh, white potatoes and WIC. The bill includes language that will allow, for the first time, fresh, white potatoes to be purchased in grocery stores with vouchers from the WIC program. The WIC program was expanded in 2009 to allow participants to use WIC vouchers to purchase all fresh fruits and vegetables, with the singular exception of fresh, white potatoes.
For the past several years, National Potato Council (NPC) has worked to include fresh white, potatoes for purchase in the WIC program on the basis of nutritional science. Potassium and fiber, consistently identified by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services as nutrients of concern,” are plentiful in potatoes at an affordable cost, according to USDA data. Nutrients of concern are designated as such when intake by Americans is low enough to be of public health concern. Mothers will now be able to use the WIC vouchers provided by USDA to purchase fresh, white potatoes just as they have been able to do with all other fresh fruits and vegetables.
NPC is pleased that the efforts of the potato industry came to fruition at the conclusion of the 113th Congress. Educating members of Congress on the nutritional value of potatoes for all consumers but particularly for the special needs of WIC participants was the catalyst for mandating the change in policy. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle saw the importance of mothers and their children having the ability to use WIC vouchers to buy a bag of potatoes that is affordable and nutritious and stretches their WIC dollars. The potato community is greatly appreciative of the leadership shown by Congress to pass this bill and return common sense to the WIC program by recognizing the nutritional value of fresh, white potatoes.
