Two new bills, a whole lot of juice, and why WIC should continue to follow the science.

WIC food packages are not, and should not be, a collection of foods chosen by lawmakers. They are carefully designed nutrition interventions, grounded in research and regularly reviewed to meet the nutritional needs of pregnant women, infants, and young children.

That’s why two bills recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives deserve our attention.

H.R. 9305, the Juice for Healthy Families Act, would increase the amount of juice provided through WIC, reversing recent USDA changes.

H.R. 9304, the Juice Access Improvement Act, would require states to default to providing more juice rather than a higher fruit and vegetable benefit.

The 2024 WIC food package changes, which increased the Cash Value Benefit (CVB) and reduced juice, were not arbitrary. They followed a science-based review informed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Reducing juice while increasing the fruit and vegetable benefit was intended to give families more purchasing power, choice, and flexibility. While juice provides important nutrients, whole fruits and vegetables also provide fiber and other benefits. And with grocery costs and food insecurity continuing to challenge families, that additional purchasing power matters.

Let’s keep WIC food packages grounded in science

The National WIC Association (NWA) and Nutrition First urge Congress to reject these bills and preserve WIC’s evidence-based food package process.

WIC has an established process for updating food packages that includes research, expert recommendations, public input, and USDA rulemaking. That process, not political influence, should guide what goes into the WIC food package.

As NWA CEO Georgia Machell put it, “WIC’s food packages should remain grounded in nutrition science, not political influence.”

What can WIC staff and advocates do?

• Stay informed about these bills and potential changes to WIC food packages.  Presently, these are both proposals, and our hope is that they will not move further through Congress.
• Share the facts with participants about why WIC provides the food package it does- because of science. 
• Speak up for continuing an evidence-based WIC program that prioritizes the nutritional needs and purchasing power of WIC families.

The bottom line? WIC food packages should evolve as the science evolves, not as politics change.

Let’s protect the progress we’ve made and keep WIC food packages science-based, family-centered, and a little less juicy.