- Why isn’t peanut butter included in Food Package II (infants 6 to 11 months old) for allergy prevention benefits?
Infants ages 6 to 11 months receive complementary foods in the categories of infant cereals, infant food fruits and vegetables, and infant food meat. Currently, a legumes and peanut butter category is not part of the infant food packages. In their 2017 report, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) did not recommend changes to include new food categories, such as legumes and peanut butter, to the infant food packages or review the appropriate amount of peanut butter to include in this food package if such changes were made.
Largely based on NASEM’s recommendations, the proposed rule did not include adding a new category to the infant food package. Making such a change without proposing it and allowing for public comment is not permissible under the Administrative Procedures Act and, therefore, was outside the scope of the final rule.
USDA recognizes the evolving body of scientific data that supports the early introduction of peanut-containing foods to help prevent a food allergy to peanuts and will continue to provide nutrition education on this important topic.
- Is medical documentation required for nut and seed butter substitutions to accommodate a food allergy?
No. Medical documentation is not required for nut and seed butter substitutions. Nut and seed butters can be issued in place of peanut butter following a nutrition assessment to meet a participant’s individual dietary needs (for example, a food allergy or intolerance), cultural practices, and personal preferences.
- Is there a change in the amount of peanut butter allowed?
No. The peanut butter maximum monthly allowance did not change and remains 18 ounces.
- What nut and seed butters are considered ‘nutritionally equivalent’ to peanut butter?
WIC state agencies may offer nut and seed butters that are nutritionally comparable – but not necessarily equivalent – to peanut butter. State agencies have discretion to determine which products are nutritionally comparable and should consider the amounts of macronutrients (for example, protein) and key micronutrients (for example, iron) provided.
- Are peanut butter products and peanut butter that do not meet the FDA’s Standard of Identity (SOI) allowed?
No. All WIC-eligible peanut butter must meet the FDA SOI for peanut butter (21 CFR 164.150(c)), which requires that oil products used in peanut butter as optional stabilizing ingredients must be hydrogenated vegetable oils. Peanut butter spreads have a different SOI than peanut butter and, therefore, are not WIC-eligible.
- Is tahini allowed as a seed butter?
Yes. WIC state agencies may choose to offer tahini as a seed butter alternative to peanut butter.
- Can WIC state agencies offer eggs as a substitute for beans or peanut butter?
No. Federal regulations do not allow eggs as a substitution for legumes or peanut butter. While eggs and legumes may offer some similar nutrients, legumes also contain fiber, and significantly more potassium, magnesium, and folate – all nutrients NASEM found to be lacking in the diets of WIC-eligible individuals.
Participants with a peanut allergy may still be issued legumes instead of peanut butter and, under the final rule, state agencies have the option to offer other nut and seed butters. In addition, participants with an egg allergy or who follow a vegan diet may be issued legumes.
- What does “requires authorization of legumes for substitution” mean?
Requiring a WIC state agency to authorize legumes as a substitute for eggs means that WIC state agencies must offer these substitutions to participants. Legumes, or peanut butter, must be issued in place of eggs following a nutrition assessment to meet a participant’s individual dietary needs (for example, a food allergy or intolerance, cultural practice, or personal preference).
- Has the requirement for beans in the food packages changed from cans to ounces?
No. The WIC Food Packages Final Rule requires state agencies to authorize both dried and canned legumes (previously the dried form were required and canned form was a state agency option). The final rule did not change the maximum monthly allowance for legumes, which remains at 1 pound of dry legumes or 64 ounces of canned legumes (equal to four 16- ounce cans).
