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News Alert Archives
REVISED WIC PROGRAM SUPPORTS THREE DAILY SERVINGS OF DAIRY
Rosemont, Ill. – December 6, 2007 – For the first time in over 25 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revised its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food packages to align with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations.
In order to accommodate additional foods without increasing total program costs, the new food packages reduce the maximum amounts of several foods, including dairy. However, the new WIC food packages continue to support the important role of nutrient-rich dairy foods as part of a healthy, balanced diet, providing three daily servings for most women in the program and two daily servings for children under age five, which is consistent with recommendations made for these groups in the DGA. Previously, the WIC program allowed up to four servings of milk/milk products per day.
For individuals with lactose intolerance, the new food packages allow for lactose-reduced/free milk. In addition, extra cheese substitutions can be made with medical documentation. Cheese is a nutrient-rich and delicious dairy option for individuals with lactose intolerance and is culturally appealing. Medical documentation is needed to for children to substitute soy or tofu for milk to ensure that the child’s health care provider is aware that the child may be at nutritional risk when milk is replaced by other foods. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines states, and health professionals agree, that milk alternatives within the milk group, such as low-fat cheese and lactose-free milk, are the easiest and most reliable way for those sensitive to lactose to derive the health benefits associated with milk and milk products.
The National Dairy Council® (NDC) has a long history of working with state and local WIC programs and provided written comment as a part of the public hearing process on the food package revisions. The NDC is committed to helping educate WIC participants about the health benefits of dairy foods as part of a healthy diet. Dairy foods supply a unique package of nutrients including calcium, potassium and magnesium, which are lacking in the diets of many Americans, including WIC participants, and are considered “nutrients of concern” by the DGA.* In fact, milk is the number one source of seven nutrients in the diets of children 2-18 years of age: calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin B-12.1
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends children and adults enjoy three cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products each day. Additionally, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends consuming three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, and the National Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend consuming three to four daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods.2,3,4
About the National Dairy Council
The National Dairy Council® was founded in 1915 and conducts nutrition education and nutrition research programs through national, state and regional Dairy Council organizations, on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
For more information about the health benefits of dairy foods, visit www.3aday.org and www.nationaldairycouncil.org. Or, for further information about WIC or the recent revisions in its food package, visit www.fns.usda.gov/wic/benefitsandservices/foodpkg.HTM.
*Editor’s note about nutrients of concern:
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines identified seven “nutrients of concern” for adults and five “nutrients of concern” for children.5
• Dairy foods supply four of the seven “nutrients of concern” for which American adults have low
intakes: vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
• Dairy foods supply three of the five nutrients of concern for which children have low intakes:
calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
# # #
The American Dairy Association/National Dairy Council (ADA/NDC) is managed by Dairy Management Inc., the nonprofit domestic and international planning and management organization responsible for increasing demand for U.S.-produced dairy products on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
Sources:
1. 1994–96, 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. Dietary Source Nutrient Database for USDA Survey Food Codes.
2. Wooten, WJ and Price, W. Consensus Report of the National Medical Association: The Role of Dairy and Dairy Nutrients in the Diet of African Americans. J Natl Med Assoc 2004; 96(12): 1S-31S.
3. Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health, 2004. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/bonehealth/.
4. American Academy of Pediatrics, Optimizing bone health and calcium intakes of infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2006; 117(2):578-585.
5. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 (6th Edition). www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.
You can rely on the National Dairy Council for credible,
up-to-date news on dairy nutrition research, public policies on nutritional
issues and special dairy nutrition campaigns. Please browse the
News Alert archives or use the search located above the left hand
navigation for more information. If you can't find what you are looking for or
have additional questions, please contact our Nutrition & Health News
Bureau via phone at 312-240-2880 or via e-mail at
ndc@dairyinformation.com.
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