This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and USDA commemorates it year-round. The WIC program was piloted in 1972 and enacted in 1974.
WIC ensures that low-income, nutritionally at-risk mothers and infants have access to specialized foods, resources, and needed services. Provides screening and referrals for nutritious supplements, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and immunizations, as well as referrals to other important health and social services, such as housing assistance and connecting participants to pediatricians. To do.
“We celebrate 50 years of compassion and care by exploring the purpose, benefits, history, current trends, and collaborations through state agencies and tribal organizations that have made WIC a cornerstone of public health.” says the Department of Agriculture.
On September 26, 1972, WIC was officially authorized by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended. This legislation (PL 92-433, sponsored by Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey, D-Minn.) established WIC as his two-year pilot program. . Due to the success of the pilot, WIC was officially established in 1974 with the opening of the first clinic in Pineville, Kentucky.
In the quarter-century since WIC officially launched, the number of program participants has increased dramatically. Participants in the program averaged 88,000 per month in 1974, increased to an average of 1.9 million in 1980, 4.5 million in 1990, and peaked at 7.41 million in 1997. Did.
WIC has evolved to adapt to changing health care needs and expanded its services to become an essential part of the nation’s public health infrastructure. Moreover, it is essential to the health and well-being of our key participants: pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women, infants, and children. Unlike other USDA nutrition programs, WIC participants must meet both of the following:
1. low income, and
2. There are nutritional risks.
With approximately half of America’s pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children eligible for WIC, this program provides proven benefits to many people during a life stage critical to healthy growth and development. It has the potential to provide.
Currently, nearly 6.7 million women, infants, and children participate in WIC. With 10,000 clinics, WIC sees just under half of the infants born in the United States, with participants from all 50 states, 33 tribes, Washington, DC, and five territories.
This program is considered very effective. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) continues to invest in WIC outreach, prioritizing outreach, improving the shopping experience, investing in and diversifying the WIC workforce, and improving technology and service delivery. We are working to modernize the program by updating the .
Secretary Vilsack said this month: “WIC has a half-century history of caring for families. USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to ensuring that mothers, infants, and young children continue to thrive through WIC.”
WIC is clearly a priority for Secretary Vilsack, Deputy Secretary Stacey Dean, and FNS Secretary Cindy Long. The program also has strong bipartisan support in Congress.
Federal program costs for WIC totaled $7 billion in fiscal year 2024, but no questions were raised about the cost in 1974, before the Appropriations Act was passed. Congress significantly increased WIC funding in his 1978 reauthorization from $250 million to $800 million.
But it was precisely because it was so popular that OMB recommended that President Carter veto it. OMB believed that the veto signaled that the president was serious about managing the budget. USDA alerted Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman George McGovern.
Mr. McGovern called Vice President Fritz Mondale, a native of Minnesota, and told him that “Senator Humphrey would not welcome a veto of his plan (which had just been passed).” The Vice President called back and said that President Carter would sign the WIC reauthorization if President McGovern promised to reduce his authorization by $50 million next year. It was a done deal.
WIC is now one of the core components of the nation’s food and nutrition assistance system. It continues to play an important role in promoting the health and nutrition of vulnerable populations.
Marshall Matz is a senior counsel at OFW Law in Washington, DC. In 1974 he served as an advisor to the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition when WIC was enacted.
