Fruit and vegetable benefits under the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program could triple for up to four months because of a funding boost from Congress.
Participants in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for WIC may soon see a temporary increase to their benefits for the purchase of fruits and vegetables, according to a news release.
With $490 million provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the USDA said it has offered states, tribal nations and territories the option of boosting the cash-value voucher benefit by more than three times the current amount for up to four months to provide additional relief during this difficult time.
“To more effectively promote heathier eating patterns, we need to promote nutrition security alongside food security to ensure all people at all times have access to nutritious foods and beverages that meet their nutritional needs for an active and healthy life,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the release.
“Nowhere is nutrition security more important than in our WIC program to support mothers and young children.”
The cash-value voucher allows participants to purchase fruits and vegetables as part of their WIC food package. Under normal circumstances, the monthly cash-value voucher is $9 per child and $11 for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, according to the release.
The American Rescue Plan allows state agencies to temporarily provide up to $35 per child and adult, per month. These additional funds will increase the purchasing power of WIC participants so they can buy and consume more healthy fruits and vegetables.
“This temporary increase in benefits will further ensure that individuals at nutritional risk and those who are disproportionately affected by hunger have greater purchasing power for the healthy and nutritious foods they need,” Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary of food, nutrition, and consumer services, said in the release.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service notified WIC state agencies of this option on March 24, and the release said state agencies that have opted-in are beginning to distribute the increased benefits as early as this month and may continue to do so for up to four consecutive months between now and Sept. 30.
A list of the state agencies that have opted-into the increase is on the FNS website.
The April 28 announcement is one of several actions the agency has taken to address the worsened risk of hunger resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release.
The agency said as many as 30 million adults and 12 million children may not always have enough nutritious food to eat.
Recently, the USDA said it has maximized economic relief for struggling families by taking administrative action on SNAP emergency allotments by targeting an additional $1 billion per month to roughly 25 million people.
Last week, USDA issued flexibilities that will allow schools and childcare institutions to serve healthy meals for free to all kids in the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.
On April 26, USDA expanded the Pandemic-EBT program to reach more than 30 million children over the summer months, according to the release. The Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act provides over $12 billion in new nutrition assistance to address hardship caused by the pandemic, including:
- Extending a 15% increase in SNAP benefits— providing over $1.1 billion per month in additional benefits for about 41 million participants — through September 2021;
- Adding $1.1 billion in new funding for territories that operate nutrition assistance block grants — home to nearly 3 million Americans — to support those hard-hit by the pandemic;
- Funding meals for young adults experiencing homelessness through Child and Adult Care Food Program emergency shelters; and
- Providing $37 million in new nutrition assistance to reach seniors through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
More information on USDA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on the FNS website.