Increased WIC Cash Value Benefit is Associated with Greater Amount and Diversity of Redeemed Fruits and Vegetables among Participating Households

Mixed methods evaluation of the COVID-19 changes to the WIC cash-value benefit for fruits and vegetables

“…Furthermore, WIC participants showed a strong preference for the CVB of $35/child/month to purchase a sufficient amount and variety of FVs to yield a meaningful impact on their families’ diet. These findings align with the previous studies that showed the $35/child/month increased access and redemption of FVs along with an increase in WIC participant satisfaction ( 14 , 16 , 32–34 ). While the caregiver interviews were overwhelmingly positive, some caregivers faced external, structural barriers to CVB redemptions (e.g., lack of awareness of the CVB changes, lack of access to WIC retailers, and inadequate amounts of FVs at WIC retailers).…”

“…The increases to the CVB dollar amount align with nutrition and medical expert recommendations on the amount of FVs needed to support a healthy diet ( 13 ). Recent studies have shown that CVB changes to both $35/child/month and $24/child/month compared to the $9/child/month resulted in increased consumption of FVs ( 14 ), a greater diversity of FVs consumed ( 15 , 16 ), and economic benefits of investing in local retailers through increased purchasing of FVs ( 17 ). Still, CVB policy changes and their implementation occurred during unprecedented tumultuous times when WIC agencies had multiple competing priorities (e.g., shift to remote services, national formula recall).…”

Associations of Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables With Food Security and Satisfaction by Race and Ethnicity

“…The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, An unexpected result of our study was that fruit and vegetable intake did not increase across any racial and ethnic group. Notably, the lowest average intake among children in our sample (2.33 cups per day in the non-Hispanic White group) before CVB augmentation was higher than the average intake among all children (2.31 cups per day) in another, multistate study after CVB augmentation; participants in that study increased their intake by ⅓ cup (11). Because the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake for WIC-aged children is approximately 2½ cups, it may be difficult to document increases in fruit and vegetable intake in a population that is already consuming relatively high levels (21).…”

“…In October 2021, the CVB augmentation was extended and adjusted to $24 per month; in October 2022, it was further revised to $25 per month (8,9). Studies reported increases in fruit and vegetable intake, household food security, and satisfaction with the CVB amount after the CVB augmentation (10)(11)(12)(13)(14); however, no studies have assessed trends by race and ethnicity. Given the diverse racial and ethnic make-up of WIC participants and previously reported differences in the association between WIC program elements and outcomes among racial and ethnic groups, examining potential differences in outcomes across groups is an important consideration for program effectiveness (15)(16)(17)(18).…”

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Participant Grocery Store Purchases during the COVID-19 Pandemic in North Carolina

“…The pandemic also caused unprecedented disruptions in food acquisition behaviors because of factors like stay-at-home orders, fear of contracting the virus, and widespread food shortages [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] ]. Prior studies focusing on WIC participants during the pandemic have focused on perceptions of and WIC benefit redemption associated with pandemic-related policy changes to the WIC program [ [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] ], as well as associations of these policy changes with enrollment [ 21 , 22 ] and self-reported food consumption [ 23 ]. Some studies have used qualitative methods to describe WIC participants’ experiences with purchasing food during the pandemic, such as how participants navigated food shortages or rising food costs [ 18 , 24 ].…”