USDA Final Rule: Revisions in the WIC Food Packages

Dear Friend,

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced a final rule to update the foods prescribed as part of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. The program is intended to foster nutrition security and promote lifelong health for participating moms, babies and young children. The final rule is consistent with the proposed changes published in November 2022 that Dairy Council of California provided public comments on.

The revisions of the food packages are intended to align with current nutrition science while providing WIC state agencies more flexibility to accommodate personal and cultural food preferences and special dietary needs—plus increasing variety and choice for WIC participants. Some of the shifts provide greater choices for milk, yogurt and cheese options. However, other changes are notable as potentially limiting access to nutritious dairy foods during these critical early life stages. Regardless, milk and dairy foods remain the highest supplemented food group in the WIC packages, largely due to their high nutrient density. Some of the milk and dairy category changes include:

• Requiring all states to authorize lactose-free milk.
• Allowing full-fat and reduced-fat yogurt for 1-year-olds.
• Modestly reducing the amount of milk in the packages.
• Allowing plant-based substitution options for milk and dairy foods if they meet strict nutrient requirements.
• Removing cheese as a separate category for breastfeeding women. Breastfeeding participants will still be able to substitute cheese for milk if desired.

Milk, yogurt and cheese are an important part of WIC food packages because they provide key nutrients and other functional components that contribute to physical growth and optimal health and well-being for pregnant women, young children and breastfeeding mothers. Dairy Council of CA continues to prioritize dairy’s critical contribution to nutrition security during these early life stages. Through projects like My First 1,000 Days: A Dairy Initiative and the development of culturally responsive resources for Hispanic and African American families, we engage with communities to improve access to nutrition education and nutrient-dense dairy foods. Additionally, Dairy Council of CA is co-funding two important research studies with the California Dairy Research Foundation, one focusing on culturally responsive dairy foods within the WIC program and the other examining the role of milk type for optimal child health. 

As we continue efforts to preserve the position of milk and dairy foods within federal nutrition assistance programs, we encourage you to leverage your voice as well. Dairy Council of CA has many resources available to help educate, inform and advocate on the critical contribution of milk and dairy foods during the key life stages served by WIC. Our team is available to support you in advancing dairy’s role as a part of the solution to nutrition security.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

• Short Course: Yogurts, Fermented Milks and Probiotic Dairy Products. The California Dairy Innovation Center, in collaboration with Dairy Council of CA, University of California, Davis and California Dairy Research Foundation, and with support from the Pacific Coast Coalition, is hosting a short course on health benefits and product innovation of fermented dairy. Hear from expert speakers who will share opportunities, trends, processing information and products. The event will take place on June 20–21, 2024 at University of California, Davis. Registration and more information can be found here.
• Webinar: The Dairy Matrix: Is the Whole Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts? Join Global Dairy Platform on Monday, April 15, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PDT for an informative presentation by Dr. Connie Weaver, Distinguished Research Professor at San Diego State University, regarding the dairy matrix and the impact of processing on the nutritional/biological effects of dairy products. Register here. 

Mentoring Program for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

Beginning farmers and ranchers in California face many challenges in sustaining their agricultural operations. Expanding our Roots is a new program that provides no-cost mentoring services from experienced farmers and ranchers to facilitate knowledge transfer. Enrollment to be a mentor or mentee for the program is open on the California Bountiful Foundation website.

Spotlight on Dairy Nutrition Research and Media

I was recently invited for an interview on the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast with host Brian Berk, who also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Dairy Foods magazine. Learn more and listen to the podcast here.

If you have questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

Amy DeLisio, CEO
Dairy Council of California
adelisio@DairyCouncilofCA.org