Here's how the WIC food packages are changing.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – also known as WIC – supports maternal and child health by providing nutritious supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to important health care and other social services.
Healthy Eating Index scores range from 0 to 100 and are a measure of diet quality used to assess how well a set of foods aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A higher score is ideal. The FDPIR Food Package scores an 84. This is higher than the average U.S. diet, which scores a 59.
Through ARPA, USDA received waiver authority to support WIC and FMNP outreach, innovation, and modernization. Waivers are currently available to support WIC online shopping and ARPA funded projects.
The purpose of Farm to Food Bank Projects is to (a) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, (b) provide food to individuals in need, and (c) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and emergency feeding organizations through the donation of food.
FNS awarded over $58.5 million in round two TEFAP Reach and Resiliency grants to 40 TEFAP state agencies.
Overview of TEFAP Reach and Resiliency grant opportunity.
As part of the WIC innovation and modernization efforts to be funded under ARPA, FNS is supporting planning and implementation projects focused on enhancements that improve the WIC participant experience, as evidenced by enhancing the WIC shopping experience, increasing participant enrollment, reducing unnecessary administrative burden for both participants and administrators, including through data matching to streamline enrollment, and retaining eligible participants while improving equity
Since 2008, FNS has been awarding funding for nutrition education projects through the FDPNE grants each fiscal year. Indian Tribal Organizations and state agencies that are current FDPIR allowance holders (have a direct agreement with FNS to administer FDPIR) are eligible to apply for funds to conduct projects that provide nutrition information and services to FDPIR participants. Effective FY 2023, the FDPNE competitive grant program is discontinued.
This gallery features nutrition related grant opportunities that ITOs and FDPIR program operators may be eligible to apply for. Grants are a great way to secure funding to pursue specific nutrition-related projects and initiatives.