Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages

This final rule considers public comments submitted in response to the interim rule revising the WIC food packages published on December 6, 2007. The interim rule implemented the first comprehensive revisions to the WIC food packages since 1980. The interim rule revised regulations governing the WIC food packages to align them more closely with updated nutrition science and the infant feeding practice guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, promote and support more effectively the establishment of successful long-term breastfeeding, provide WIC participants with a wider variety of food, and provide WIC State agencies with greater flexibility in prescribing food packages to accommodate participants with cultural food preferences. This rule makes adjustments that improve clarity of the provisions set forth in the interim rule.