New York State: Preparing for the WIC Food Package

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New York State Preparing for the WIC Food Package

• Stacey Flanagan, MS
• Medical Health Research Association of NYC, Inc.

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Overview

• Successful statewide (NY) pilot project from 2006
  that provided vouchers for WIC participants to
  purchase vegetables and fruits.
• Corner Store based training for WIC Vendor
  Management Low-Fat Milk Initiative.
• Sample findings from study of, emphasizing
  lessons learned and tips for others working to
  bring healthier food into small-scale stores.
• Comments on opportunities for getting produce
  into small-scale stores created by WIC package
  changes.

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New York State WIC Vegetable and Fruit Pilot
Program 2006

• In September 2005, The New York State Division of
  Nutrition identified state funds to provide WIC
  families with children the opportunity to
  purchase vegetables and fruits at all 4,400 NYS
  WIC-authorized grocery stores.
• The purpose of this project was to
• support the States childhood obesity prevention
  efforts
• promote the consumption of vegetables and fruits
  among program participants and
• evaluate the process in preparation for the
  permanent addition of these products to the
  WIC food benefits.

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From January 1, 2006 through March 31, 2006,
more than 158,000 children (two to five years
old) were issued three WIC checks (with a value
of 5.00 each) specifying the purchase of
vegetables and fruits (fresh, frozen, canned).
Participants shopped with these checks through
June 30, 2006.
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Acceptable Foods

• Most Vegetables and Fruits were allowed for
  purchase by WIC participants.
• The list of not allowed items was small for
  ease of administration at the store.

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The project was well received by participants,
WIC local agencies and the vendor community.
I am glad to be able to sell new types of
foods to WIC Participants.
WIC Vendor, New York City
I really love buying fruits with my WIC
checks. Please continue this special program.
WIC Mom,
Syracuse, NY
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Food Availability

• The greatest variety available was for canned
  products, with 80
• percent of Downstate vendors and 70 percent
  of Upstate stores
• stocking moderate or several varieties of
  canned vegetables and/or fruits.
• About 66 percent of Upstate stores had moderate
  to several varieties of
• both fresh and frozen products.
• In the Downstate region, 62 percent of stores
  had moderate
• to several varieties of fresh products, and
  59 percent had
• moderate to several varieties of frozen
  products.

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Visiting Corner Stores to Prepare for Transitions
to Low-fat Milk

• Program Goals for 2007
• Ensure that WIC Vendors
• Understand the importance of low-fat/non-fat milk
  to the health of the community.
• Consistently maintain low-fat/non-fat milk on
  their shelves
• Continue to redeem low-fat/non-fat milk WIC
  checks appropriately.

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WIC Vendors need to knowNot stocking 1 or skim
milk means vendors lose both WIC and non-WIC
business.

• When a store doesnt have low-fat (1) or skim
  milk,
• the WIC participant has to shop at another store
  that
• does. Because most participants also shop for
  non-WIC
• foods while theyre in the store, vendors without
  1 or
• skim milk will lose WIC business AS WELL AS any
• non-WIC business.

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Today, more WIC vendors in NYC have 1 or skim
milk on their shelves.
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As vendors increase their stocks of 1 milk, 2
milk stocks decrease.
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What the WIC vendors have been saying about
Low-fat Milk

• Many vendors were confused, believing that 2 is
  low-fat. Some vendors actually thought 2 was the
  healthier choice.
• Some vendors continued to claim that 1 milk does
  not sell.
• Some vendors reported resistance from some WIC
  participants who refuse to accept the 1 milk.
• Many vendors expressed surprise at the large
  amount of saturated fat in whole milk, and said
  they themselves would switch to 1.

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Things to Consider with New Food Package

• The benefit design needs to be easy for WIC
  participants to understand and
• simple for vendors to administer.
• Input from the vendor community on the benefit
  design is critical to its success.
• Education at a local level is very important.
  Through store-based one-on-one trainings, health
  promoters were able to provide needed knowledge,
  support and incentives for WIC vendors to stock
  new foods.
• Program information and educational materials
  designed for WIC local agencies participants,
  and WIC vendors must be effective and easy to
  understand, in several languages.
• While we observed some availability of fruits,
  vegetables, and low-fat milk throughout these
  initiatives, it remains important to clearly
  define an acceptable minimum amount of low-fat /
  non-fat milk to be carried by WIC vendors.