US agriculture officials have proposed changes to the federal program that helps pay the grocery bills for low-income pregnant women, babies and young children, including extending a bump in payments for fresh fruits and vegetables allowed during the pandemic. The effort is aimed at expanding the number and type of healthy foods available to families who get assistance from the Agriculture Department's program known as WIC, officials said.
The revisions would make permanent payments authorized by Congress during the pandemic that increased vouchers for fruits and vegetables to $25 a month for children ages 1 to 5 and to $49 a month for breastfeeding women.
More than 6.2 million pregnant women, mothers, babies and young children participate in the program annually. The federal government currently pays about $5 billion a year to run the program, which is administered through states and other jurisdictions. The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children provides vouchers to mothers and children who qualify and specifically lists the amount and types of food they can buy.
Source: wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu
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