WIC Package Improves Retail Choices

In 2009, the foods subsidized under the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program changed to include fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, among other changes. Researchers in New Orleans visited small stores in that city when the change was introduced, and then a year later. They found that just 3.7% of stores participating in the WIC program carried whole wheat bread or brown rice in 2009, while 70.4% offered whole wheat bread a year later and 92.6% offered brown rice. Most of this change can be attributed to the impact of the WIC program, as only 1.5% of non-WIC participating small stores carried whole wheat bread in 2010, and only 12.1% carried brown rice. These changes in availability can make healthier choices available not just to people in the WIC program, but to everyone in that neighborhood.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2014 May-Jun;46(3 Suppl);S38-44. (Rose et al.)