Opportunities to increase whole grain intake within the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Abstract

Background: In 2017, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS), published an expert report proposing updates to food packages for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Recommendations included adoption of the "whole grain-rich" criteria instead of the whole grain health claim to classify whole grain breakfast cereals, and further, that all breakfast cereals be whole grain-rich.Aims & Methods: To discuss the advantages and implications of these recommendations, the Cereal & Grains Association, in partnership with General Mills, Inc., convened an expert roundtable in April 2022.Results & Discussion: The roundtable agreed increasing whole grain intake among WIC participants is critical and adoption of the whole grain-rich criteria aligns with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and child nutrition programs. However, potential challenges in requiring all cereals to be whole grain-rich, including cost, and consumer choices based on taste and cultural preferences were noted and potential solutions discussed. Conclusion: Considering the public health need to increase whole grain intake, USDA FNS should increase the provision of whole grain in WIC food packages, while also considering the preferences of WIC participants and food costs.ready-to-eat cereal, supplemental nutrition program, whole grain, WIC | INTRODUCTIONFor more than 40 years, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has helped meet the nutritional needs and ensure the health of low-income mothers, infants, and children up to the age of five by providing foods, nutrition education and assessment, and referrals to health and social services (National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine, 2017;Oliveira & Frazao, 2015). Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the WIC program is currently utilized by more than 6 million participants across all 50 states, Indian Tribal Organizations, and US territories (Caulfield et al., 2022;Oliveira & Frazao, 2015). While the mission of the

Health Effects of Whole Grains: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Health agencies are also paying particular attention to the dietary health of women, infants, and children. In discussions of the Special Supplementary Nutrition Program, it is mentioned that the cost of whole grain foods and consumer choice based on taste and cultural preferences are essential for the implementation of whole grain [ 88 ]. A complementary feeding period is the key to shaping infant food preferences and habits.…”