- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, provides nutrition assistance to low-income pregnant and postpartum women. The WIC cash value benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables was increased from $9/month to $35/month in June 2021 and was revised further to $25/month from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. A new policy brief from the Nutrition Policy Institute and PHFE-WIC researchers shows how an increase in the CVB increased the redemption amount and diversity of fruits and vegetables purchased among participating families. The brief highlights...
- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
- Editor: Lorrene Ritchie
- Contributor: Marisa M Tsai
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, offers nutrition support to diverse populations. The Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables, is a key component of the WIC food packages that accommodates diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic preferences by offering flexibility in fruit and vegetable choices. In response to exacerbated health disparities and decreased food security during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of Agriculture increased the CVB from $9 per month per child to the current amount of $26 per month per child. Study researchers assessed the impact of CVB augmentation on CVB redemption, household...
- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
- Editor: Marisa M Tsai
- Editor: Wendi Gosliner
US safety net programs provide aid to low-income households through cash and in-kind assistance, such as food and healthcare benefits. Using data from the Assessing California Communities' Experiences with Safety Net Supports ACCESS,study researchers examined patterns of multi-program take-up, that is participation conditioned on eligibility in California. Sociodemographic factors associated with multi-program take-up were also identified. Among the four safety net programs examined (i.e., Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and...
Lauren Au, Nutrition Policy Institute affiliated researcher and assistant professor of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, received the 2023 Huddelson award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. The award recognizes dietitians who were the lead author of a peer-reviewed article that made important contributions to the field of dietetics. The award is named for Mary Pascoe Huddleson, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics editor from 1927 to 1946. The honored article, “A Qualitative Examination of California...
Recent research shows that increased Cash Value Benefit amounts for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children—commonly known as WIC—to purchase fruits and vegetables was associated with greater amounts and variety of fruits and vegetables purchased. The US Department of Agriculture's response to the COVID-19 pandemic increased the Cash Value Benefit for children from $9 per month to $25 per month, effective until September 30, 2023. The Cash Value Benefit will revert to a lower amount without Congressional action. Analyzing purchasing data for 1,578 families with 1,770 children participating in WIC in Los Angeles...