Key Points
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) serves to safeguard the health of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, and infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating including breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care.
- WIC is not an entitlement program, as Congress does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate in the program. WIC is a federal grant program for which Congress authorizes a specific amount of funds each year for the program.
- WIC operates through 1,900 local agencies in 10,000 clinic sites, in 50 state health departments, 33 Indian Tribal Organizations, the District of Columbia, and five territories (Northern Mariana, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).
FIM Opportunities
WIC is an important precursor of Food Is Medicine programs now being developed given that it provides nutritious foods to supplement diets and requires a referral from a health care professional to enroll.
Evidence demonstrating the benefits of WIC in terms of infant mortality, birth weight, diet quality, and childhood anemia clearly shows the effectiveness of the program.
