This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals.

The biennial WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Report describes a census of all participants in WIC. The most recent report (PC 2016) reflects state management information systems data from April 2016, and this Food Package Report is a supplemental analysis of that data. While PC 2016 summarizes participant characteristics, this report summarizes the food packages, or prescriptions, that state agencies issued to these participants.

Enrollment for the WIC Program in April 2004 totaled 8,586,487. Of this total, Hispanics accounted for 3,362,959 (39%), Whites 2,987,147 (35%), Blacks 1,715,294 (20%), Asian/Pacific Islanders 261,342 (3%), American Indian/Alaska Native 133,191 (2%).

Enrollment for the WIC Program in April 2006 totaled 8,772,216. Of this total, Whites accounted for 4,849,557 (55.28%), Blacks 1,715,433 (19.56%), American Indian 1,344,422 (15.33%), Multiple Race 256,244 (2.92%), Asian 255,629 (2.91%), Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 68,598 (.78%).

Enrollment for the WIC program in April 2008 totaled 9,537,897. Of this total, Whites accounted for 5,753,002 (60.30%), Blacks 1,868,090 (19.58%), American Indian 1,090,454 (11.43%),  Multiple Race 346,819 (3.64%), Asian 256,506 (2.67%),  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 79,738 (.84%). 

Enrollment for the WIC Program in April 2010 totaled 10,021,138. Of this total, Whites accounted for 6,107,270 (60.94%), Blacks 1,934,966 (19.31%), American Indian 1,054,982 (10.53%), Multiple Race 420,407 (4.2%), Asian 273,040 (2.72%), Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 81,610 (.81%). 

Enrollment for the WIC Program in April 2012 totaled 9,734,468. Of this total, Whites accounted for 5,664,332 (58.2%), Blacks 1,927,548 (19.8%), American Indian 1,191,137 (12.2%), Multiple Race 499,196 (5.1%), Asian 297,724 (3.1%), Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 81,735 (0.8%). 

April 2000 enrollment for the WIC Program totaled 7,855,514. Of this total, Whites accounted for 2,935,852 (38%), Hispanics 2,773,803 (35%), Blacks 1,720,083 (22%), Asian/Pacific Islanders 259,390 (3%), American Indian/Alaska Native 112,285 (1%).

SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) is the nutrition education and obesity prevention component of SNAP; its goal is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make nutritious food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA food guidance.

WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2016 (PC 2016) summarizes the demographic characteristics of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nationwide in April 2016. It includes information on participant income and nutrition risk characteristics, estimates breastfeeding initiation rates for WIC infants, and describes WIC members of migrant farm-worker families. PC 2016 is the most recent in a series of reports generated from WIC state management information system data biennially since 1992.