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50 Fun Facts About WIC

WIC 50 honoring the past nourishing the future

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of WIC! To celebrate, we are sharing 5 fun facts about WIC each month (February-November) to finish the year with a total of 50 fun facts. 

Bookmark this page and check back each month for more facts about WIC!

Fun Facts About WIC

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  1. In fiscal year 2022, nearly 1.3 million WIC participants received benefits from the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program.
  2. Congress established the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (later known as WIC) as a 2-year pilot program in 1972.
  3. An enhanced food package was released in 1992 for women who exclusively breastfeed their infants to encourage breastfeeding.
  4. New research findings show that an increase in the CVB increases the amounts fruits and vegetables that WIC participants are purchasing by 8.5 cups.
  5. Congress mandated all WIC State agencies adopt an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, which replaced paper checks in 2010. Today all State agencies use EBT cards!


     

  6. WIC clinics can be found in a variety of places. Common locations for WIC clinics include county health departments, hospitals, mobile clinics (vans), schools, and Indian health service facilities - to name a few!
  7. For the past 20 years, the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor initiative has provided mom-to-mom support for women who breastfeed. 
  8. The WIC Overseas Program, a program similar to WIC and administered by the Department of Defense (DOD), is available to eligible participants living overseas, including: civilian employees, Department of Defense contractors, family members, and members of the uniformed services.
  9. Analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data shows that on a given day from 2005-2018 WIC children consumed more whole fruit and an increased percentage of milk as low-fat or nonfat milk compared to children who are WIC income-eligible but who are not enrolled in WIC. 
  10. WIC staff can order free publications on WIC Works to be delivered to their clinic! Just click the “publication ordering” link in the menu at the top of this page to browse resources you can use in your clinic and share with participants. 
  11. A 2022 study found that food-insecure children who received benefits from WIC and SNAP from 1984 to 2019 were 4 times more likely to report improved food security as young adults, as compared with those who did not receive SNAP or WIC benefits during childhood.
  12. WIC participants support their local economy by using their WIC benefits. 
  13. Since WIC’s formal inception, the number of program participants has expanded from an average of 88,000 participants per month in 1974, the program grew to an average of 1.9 million in 1980, 4.5 million in 1990, and peaked at 7.41 million in 1997. 
  14. Many children are eligible to receive WIC benefits, even if their parents are not! 
  15. WIC is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is operated through local clinics by state WIC agencies and Indian Nations. 
  16. The WIC Works Resource System website receives around 30,000 visits every month!
  17. Chickasaw Nation was the first State agency to go live with online shopping in 2023. 
  18. The percentage of breastfed infants has increased every year since fiscal year 2013!
  19. In 2023, there were over 360,000 visits to the WIC Breastfeeding Support website. 
  20. When the WIC program started, there were only two food packages. In 1980 USDA expanded the number of food packages to six based on participant category. And in the most recent food package update, there are now seven participant category food packages!
  21. According to the recent WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study, consistent 5-year participation in WIC is associated with better overall diet quality at age 6 compared to participation during only the first year of life.
  22. 2024 marks the 10th year of the WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence! Since 2015, FNS has awarded 838 Gold, 115 Premiere, and 4 Elite awards.
  23. A report in the Western Journal of Nursing Research concluded that “health care providers should recognize the valuable, yet unrecognized and underutilized, contributions of WIC Peer Counselors and consider referring pregnant and postpartum dyads to WIC for breastfeeding education and support.”   
  24. The WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum was updated in 2016, and since its introduction, the curriculum is now available to order in both English and Spanish and the videos are on WIC Learning Online!
  25. The 2024 revised WIC food packages allow for more flexibility to accommodate personal and cultural food preferences and special dietary needs.
  26. In 1968, Dr. David Paige developed a clinic-based food distribution program that became the foundation for WIC.\In 1975, Congress established WIC as a permanent national health and nutrition program.
  27. The WIC Works Resource System was launched in 2000. It’s almost 25 years old!
  28. The WIC Picks monthly newsletter has over 135,000 subscribers! 
  29. WIC helps reduce instances of low birthweight rates and can increase the duration of pregnancy for many women!
  30. In 1992 Congress established the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program to provide fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to WIC participants. 
  31. Pregnant women participating in WIC often receive prenatal care earlier.
  32. Children enrolled in WIC are more likely to have a regular source of medical care!
  33. WIC supplemental foods in 1974 included infant formula, milk, cheese, eggs, infant and adult cereals, and fruit juice.
  34. WIC serves participants in all 50 states, 33 tribes, D.C., and 5 territories with roughly 10,000 clinics.
  35. Children enrolled in WIC are more likely to be up to date on immunizations.
  36. WIC serves about 40 percent of all infants in the United States.
  37. WIC decreases the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in children. 
  38. Children of mothers who participate in WIC have been shown to have improved vocabulary scores. 
  39. WIC participation has been shown to improve children’s growth rates.  
  40. WIC reduces fetal deaths and infant mortality. 
  41. 2024 marks the 10th year of the WIC Breastfeeding Award of Excellence! Since 2015, FNS has awarded 838 Gold, 115 Premiere, and 4 Elite awards.
  42. According to the recent WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study, consistent 5-year participation in WIC is associated with better overall diet quality at age 6 compared to participation during only the first year of life.
  43. WIC helps get children ready to start school; children who receive WIC benefits demonstrate improved intellectual development.
  44. A report in the Western Journal of Nursing Research concluded that “health care providers should recognize the valuable, yet unrecognized and underutilized, contributions of WIC Peer Counselors and consider referring pregnant and postpartum dyads to WIC for breastfeeding education and support.”
  45. The WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum was updated in 2016, and since its introduction, the curriculum is now available to order in both English and Spanish and the videos are on WIC Learning Online!
  46. In 1989, Congress reauthorized WIC and required USDA to promote breastfeeding. 
  47. In 1997, USDA launched the Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work campaign. In 2018, WIC revamped its breastfeeding promotion and support campaign with WIC Breastfeeding Support - Learn Together. Grow Together.
  48. WIC supports breastfeeding in 5 ways: peer counseling, lactation experts, food packages, online resources, and referrals. 
  49. From 2004 to 2022, the WIC breastfeeding initiation rate for infants increased from 57% to 70%.
  50. Virgin Islands reported the highest breastfeeding rate (exclusive and partially breastfeeding) of all WIC State Agencies in 2022, at 71%! 
Do you have a resource that might benefit WIC staff?