FNS Documents & Resources

This rulemaking serves to amend WIC program regulations by incorporating provisions of the Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 and making related amendments.

Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 are eligible. They must meet income guidelines, a state residency requirement, and be individually determined to be at "nutritional risk" by a health professional.

On Nov. 8, 2022, FNS published WIC Policy Memorandum #2023-1 Abbott Infant Formula Waiver Expiration Schedule which extended active waivers to Jan. 31, 2023, or 60 days after the end of the Presidentially-declared COVID-19 major disaster declaration in the affected area, whichever is sooner. However, FNS recognizes that WIC state agencies may need additional flexibility to ensure uninterrupted access to infant formula for WIC families even as WIC state agencies transition back to normal operations. The intent of this policy memorandum is to formally describe the timeline for this transition, as previously described in the Dec. 19, 2022 letter to state agencies.

Breastfeeding Policy and Guidance 

The purpose of this memorandum is to notify WIC state agencies that the monthly value of the cash value voucher for fruits and vegetables for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women will increase from $10 to $11 beginning in FY 2016 on Oct. 1, 2015.

The WIC food packages provide supplemental foods designed to meet the special nutritional needs of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, infants and children up to five years of age who are at nutritional risk. WIC food packages and nutrition education are the chief means by which WIC affects the dietary quality and habits of participants.

This is an affirmation by the Department of a final rule, without change, of an interim rule that amended the regulations for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children by implementing most of the nondiscretionary provisions of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 that address participant certification and general program administration in the WIC program.

This policy memorandum supplements an FNS instruction on the use of WIC acronym and logo.

This policy memorandum identifies the purpose, necessary elements and outcomes for nutrition services documentation in the WIC program.

This document delays from Aug. 5, 2009 until Oct. 1, 2009 the implementation date of the interim final rule entitled Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages, which was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 6, 2007, 72 FR 68966, and became effective on Feb. 4, 2008.