WIC Nutrition Program WIC

WIC began as a pilot in 1972 and became permanent in 1975. It serves pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under five in families with incomes up to 185 percent of the poverty line who are at nutritional risk, and people on Medicaid or SNAP qualify automatically. Participants receive benefits for specific healthy foods, such as milk, eggs, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and infant formula, along with nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health care.

About 7 million people take part, including roughly 4 in 10 infants born in the United States. The Agriculture Department funds the program and state and tribal agencies run it through about 10,000 clinics, and states buy most infant formula under competitive contracts that cut its cost. A 2022 shortage after a formula plant closed led to changes in how contracts and supplies are managed.

Unlike SNAP, WIC is funded each year by Congress rather than automatically, so its funding can run short during budget fights, as nearly happened during the fall 2025 shutdown. Studies have linked WIC to healthier births and better child nutrition. Debates focus on funding levels, how generous the fruit and vegetable benefit should be, and making it easier to enroll and shop, including online.