Funding the WIC program to meet the unexpected increase in participation will build upon the more than 25 years of bipartisan support for healthier outcomes for nutritionally at-risk mothers and young children across the country while also reducing healthcare costs and promoting local economies. Our organizations – representing farmers, producers, manufacturers, and food retailers – respectfully request your consideration of the additional funding USDA needs to ensure access to WIC remains uninterrupted in fiscal year (FY) 2024. WIC participation is now rising after a decade of declined enrollment. At the end of 2022, WIC provided assistance to 6.3 million women, infants, and children. In March 2023, the Administration requested $6.3 billion for WIC for the upcoming fiscal year, anticipating an increase in participation through FY 2024 to 6.5 million participants.

In the following months, participation data showed enrollment rapidly rising to 6.7 million participants, significantly higher than anticipated. As a result, USDA indicated an additional $1 billion in funding would be needed to appropriately serve 6.7 million mothers, infants, and children in the program. WIC mothers and babies are at nutritional risk during important times of growth and development and benefit from the targeted support provided by WIC benefits, which include supplemental nutritious foods as well as infant formula, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals. The WIC food package provides quantities of specific foods and infant formulas tailored to participants to meet specific nutritional and dietary needs for each stage of life. These highly nutritious foods are widely available and commonly consumed.

Additional funding will enable WIC to continue to provide the full food package that is built on evidence-based recommendations and promotes alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The WIC food package not only provides nutritional benefits to participants, but also provides economic benefits to local producers, farmers, distributors, food retailers and communities across the nation. In one month alone, redemption of WIC foods drove more than $500 million in purchases across the United States.

When WIC families use their supplemental benefits to purchase staples like dairy, eggs, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and whole grains every month, it benefits local economies and supports local businesses in the food supply chain. The WIC program has demonstrated meaningful public health impacts over the decades, delivering vital nutrition support and improving overall health outcomes. According to the National WIC Association, research into WIC outcomes shows it reduces infant mortality significantly, reduces healthcare costs – saving more than double per every dollar spent– and supports WIC families’ access to dairy foods, addressing public health concerns that Americans are not meeting dairy recommendations.

Increases in fruit and vegetable benefits have also resulted in a significant increase in produce consumption among participating children, addressing a key dietary concern raised by the Centers for Disease Control and highlighting the importance of maintaining current fruit and vegetable benefit levels.

A significant funding shortfall will impact access to nutritional benefits for new parents wanting to enroll newborn children and those who remain eligible and wish to renew their benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that nationwide, over 2 million eligible women, children, and infants could be turned away from WIC by September 2024 without additional funding.

We are told that these impacts may be felt as early as March in some states. We appreciate your attention to this urgent need and stand ready to help as partners of the WIC program. The investment we make now will improve the future nutrition, health, and lives of so many for years to come."

Sincerely,

Ahold Delhaize USA

American Bakers Association

American Frozen Food Institute

Consumer Brands Association

Danone North America

FMI- The Food Industry Association

General Mills Inc.

International Dairy Foods Association

International Fresh Produce Association

National Grocers Association

National Milk Producers Federation

Sustainable Food Policy Alliance