This interim rule revises regulations governing the WIC food packages to align the WIC food packages with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and current infant feeding practice guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, better promote and support the establishment of successful long-term breastfeeding, provide WIC participants with a wider variety of food, and provide WIC state agencies with greater flexibility in prescribing food packages to accommodate participants with cultural food preferences.
The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans outline nutrient-dense foods and beverages, their amounts, and associated costs that can be purchased on three successively higher budgets, each supporting a healthy diet through nutritious meals and snacks at home. The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans are used by various federal and state agencies and the court system.
To assist nutrition educators in their use of relevant research, FNA conducted a review of studies on: Message framing, Use of interactive technology to tailor messages, and Intervention intensity. The review was intended to document how these specific features of nutrition messages and interventions influence the likelihood of promoting more healthful food choices.
The Thrifty Food Plan, a fundamental part of the U.S. food guidance system and the basis for maximum food stamp allotments, has been revised by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, with assistance from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration, Economic Research Service, and Agricultural Research Service. The TFP provides a representative healthful and minimal cost meal plan that shows how a nutritious diet may be achieved with limited resources. The plan assumes that all purchased food is consumed at home.
The FY 2005 Appropriations Bill for the Department of Agriculture included a provision which excluded from consideration as income in the Food Stamp Program additional pay received by military personnel as a result of deployment to a combat zone. This provision has been extended.