USDA Revises WIC Food Program

October 22, 2010 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to omit white potatoes from its list of recommended foods for participants in the supplemental food program known as WIC. The move is part of the agency's first major revisions to the program for low-income women and children in 30 years. USDA's decision is based on recommendations from an Institute of Medicine report, which suggested ways to bring the WIC food packages into line with current dietary guidelines and the latest nutrition science, including adding fruits and vegetables to the packages.

Studies show that WIC participants routinely eat starchy vegetables, especially white potatoes, in amounts that meet or exceed nutritional guidelines, and they eat too few dark, leafy greens and orange and yellow vegetables. Given that WIC participants typically already receive the nutritional benefits of white potatoes in their diets, the IOM report recommended that the program disallow them so that participants would purchase other vitamin- and mineral-rich vegetables and fruits. The decision was also based on the supplemental nature of WIC, which is intended to help low-income families supplement their diets with healthy foods that may be lacking.