printer friendly version Summary of Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Provisions of 2004 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act WIC Nutrition Education · Expands the definition of WIC nutrition education to include education designed to achieve a positive change in physical activity habits. WIC Food Package · Expands the definition of WIC foods to include foods that promote the health of the WIC population as indicated by relevant nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. · Requires USDA to issue a final rule updating the WIC food package within 18 months of receiving the results of the WIC Food Package study by the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. · Mandates a scientific review and revision of the WIC food package as often as necessary to assure that the package reflects nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. WIC Certification · Allows certification of breast-feeding women for up to 1 year. · Increases flexibility for the physical presence requirement for certification by expanding the waiver options available to accommodate the needs of infants less than 8 weeks of age. WIC Fruit and Vegetable Projects · Allows USDA to award grants to up to 10 local sites for demonstration projects to evaluate the addition of fruits and vegetables in the WIC food package using private funds. Healthy People 2010 Initiative · Requires USDA to work with state and local WIC agencies, communities, employers, health care professionals, and the private sector to build a supportive breastfeeding environment for women participating in WIC. WIC Infant Formula Benefits · Allows State WIC agencies to round up to the next whole can of formula to ensure that all infants receive the full benefits. WIC Vendor Management · Allows participants to use any WIC vendor under retail food delivery systems. · Requires State WIC agencies to notify vendors of an initial violation in writing prior to documentation of another violation, unless the State agency determines that notifying the vendor would compromise an investigation. · Requires participating vendors to purchase formula from a list of State-licensed wholesalers and distributors approved to distribute infant formula. · Establishes comprehensive cost containment requirements for State WIC agencies to control "WIC Only" store costs including mandating: Vendor peer group systems, Competitive price criteria and reimbursement levels, and Limitation of incentive items. WIC Infant Formula Contracts · Modifies infant formula rebate bid rules to require: Infant formula manufacturers to adjust rebate bids to reflect wholesale price changes, WIC to use primary contract infant formula as the first choice, Rebate invoices to contain actual counts or reasonable estimates of units of infants formula sold, and State WIC agencies to issue separate bids for milk and soy formula. · Limits State WIC infant formula contract multi-state alliances to 100,000 infants. WIC Management Information Systems · Requires USDA to implement a national Universal Product Code Database for use by State agencies. · Prohibits USDA and State agencies from imposing on vendors the cost of any equipment, system, or processing required for WIC electronic benefit transfers. WIC Funds · Increases State WIC agency budget flexibility by raising the spend forward limit from 1 percent to 3 percent. · Allows State WIC agencies to use funds recovered through local agency claims. WIC Authorization · Authorizes WIC through 2009. · Authorizes the use of up to $64 million (if not needed to support WIC caseload) in WIC funds for Infrastructure and special projects including breastfeeding promotion ($14 million), Establishing, improving or administering management information systems ($30 million), and Special nutrition education projects such as breast feeding peer counselors ($20 million.) General WIC Updates · Deletes out-of-date references to notification to Congress regarding the migrant and community health centers. · Deletes expired authority for insurance demonstration projects Farmer's Market Nutrition Program · Authorizes through 2009. · Provides a State option to expand the definition of Farmer's Market to include road side stands. · Raises maximum federal benefit from $20 to $30 per season. · Allows States to provide 30 percent of the "administrative" cost of the program instead of the "total" cost of the program. Factsheets on Child Nutrition Programs School Breakfast  |  School Lunch  |  Afterschool  |  Summer Food Women, Infants, and Children  |  Child and Adult Care Food Program Prepared by the Food Research & Action Center, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-986-2200; www.frac.org