New WIC food updates bring more choices and healthier options for California families<\/p>\n
What You Need to Know:\u00a0The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently updated California Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food benefits statewide. These changes increase flexibility and choice for WIC families by expanding the variety of nutritious foods offered and are designed to better support the health and nutrition needs of pregnant and breastfeeding individuals, infants, and young children across California.<\/p>\n
SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated California Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food benefits statewide, expanding access to healthy foods and offering greater flexibility and choice to WIC families. The changes include more whole grain options, additional yogurt flavors, additional plant-based milk alternatives, expanded access to canned fish, and the ability to purchase fresh herbs with the fruits and vegetables benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese updates to the California WIC food benefits reflect our commitment to supporting the health, cultural preferences, and everyday needs of the families WIC serves,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Rita Nguyen, CDPH Assistant Health Officer. By expanding food choices and aligning food benefits with nutrition guidelines and community needs, we are helping to ensure that WIC participants have access to healthy foods that fit their lives and culture.<\/p>\n
Why the Change Happened<\/p>\n
The updates were implemented in response to a USDA final rule issued in 2024 that incorporated recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The revised foods are intended to strengthen nutrition security, promote healthier dietary patterns, and better meet the evolving nutritional needs of individuals participating in WIC.<\/p>\n
Who Is Impacted<\/p>\n
The updated food benefits apply to all California WIC participants, including:<\/p>\n
Pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individualsInfants and children up to age 5WIC authorized grocers and retailers who updated inventories and point-of-sale systems to reflect the new authorized food list.<\/p>\n
How California Will Implement<\/p>\n
CDPH is working closely with WIC local agencies, WIC authorized grocery stores, and partners to ensure a smooth transition and provide education and support so families can fully benefit from the updated food options. Families can use the\u00a0California WIC App<\/a>\u00a0and the updated WIC Shopping Guide and visit the\u00a0MyFamily website<\/a>\u00a0to make shopping easier.<\/p>\n WIC staff are available to help answer questions about the new foods, food allergies, and dietary needs during appointments. CDPH is sharing updates through social media, text messages, and videos to help families explore these changes and make informed choices.<\/p>\n What WIC Families Can Do<\/p>\n Check your benefits:\u00a0Use the\u00a0California WIC App<\/a>\u00a0to view your updated food balance and scan items while shopping.Explore new options:\u00a0Try new whole grains, yogurt flavors, canned fish, and fresh herbs.Ask about swaps:\u00a0Talk with WIC staff about food substitutions that fit your family’s dietary needs (for example, families may want to swap milk for tofu or yogurt, eggs for beans, peanut butter, or tofu, and more).Stay informed:\u00a0Visit\u00a0MyFamily.WIC.ca.gov<\/a>\u00a0and talk to your WIC counselor for personalized guidance and updates on your food benefits.Not enrolled in WIC yet?You may qualify if you\u2019re pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, or caring for a child under 5; have low\u2011to\u2011medium income or receive Medi\u2011Cal, CalFresh, or CalWORKs; and live in California. Visit\u00a0MyFamily.WIC.ca.gov<\/a>\u00a0to check your eligibility and find an office near you.<\/p>\n What Local Agencies and Public Health Professionals Can Do<\/p>\n Share clear information:\u00a0Update websites, newsletters, and social media.Support families:\u00a0Answer questions about new foods, food swaps, and app updates during appointments.Collaborate with partners:\u00a0Encourage community organizations to share WIC updates and resources.<\/p>\n For the latest information on the new WIC food options, please visit\u00a0CDPH’s WIC website<\/a>. This site provides the latest updates, helpful resources, and tools to make shopping easier for WIC families. For media inquiries, contact\u00a0WICOutreach@cdph.ca.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New WIC food updates bring more choices and healthier options for California families What You Need to Know:\u00a0The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,1919,584,117661],"class_list":["post-315451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-columns","tag-events","tag-talk_around_town"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}