WIC TO HALT USE OF BANKED HUMAN BREAST MILK

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2000 - The federal WIC program will no longer allow the use of banked human breast milk for some infants with special needs, Agriculture Under Secretary Shirley R. Watkins said today.

In the past, WIC has allowed banked breast milk as a substitute for WIC-eligible formulas in some special cases. But Under Secretary Watkins said few infants have needed the milk, and no federal health and safety standards exist to govern human milk banks. In addition to the lack of federal standards, she said, there are no provisions for mandatory pathogen, drug, toxin and allergen screening, and banked breast milk must be pasteurized, which may cause it to lose some of its intrinsic nutritive value.

“Over the last eight to 10 years, WIC has served millions of infants, and perhaps 23 have needed this milk,” Watkins said. “This is a small niche that WIC has filled, but there are a number of concerns that now cause us to discontinue providing this benefit.”

Considering all these factors could put WIC infants at risk from possibly contaminated or otherwise unsafe breast milk, Watkins said, and could also place USDA and WIC state and local agencies at risk of liability.

Watkins emphasized that the change does not diminish WIC’s historically strong commitment to promoting and supporting breastfeeding.

“Research has shown that there is no better food than breast milk for a baby’s first year of life,” Watkins said. “Since a major goal of WIC is to improve the nutritional status of infants, we encourage WIC mothers to breastfeed their infants whenever possible.”

WIC - officially named the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children - provides supplemental food, nutrition education and access to health care for more than 7 million pregnant women, new mothers, and infants and children up to age 5.

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