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National Dairy Council Statement on USDA's Proposed Rule on Revisions in the WIC Food Packages

Posted on: Tuesday, 8 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

ROSEMONT, Ill., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of the publication of the USDA's Proposed Rule on Revisions in the Women, Infants and Children's (WIC) Food Packages, National Dairy Council reiterates the important role of dairy foods in diets of vulnerable populations. Both the Dietary Guidelines and the proposed WIC food packages emphasize food groups to be encouraged for a healthy diet. The WIC food packages include three daily servings of dairy foods for most women in the program and two daily servings for children in the program who receive milk (one through four years old), and have increased fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognized that people who consume more dairy foods have better overall diets, consume more nutrients and have improved bone health. Both the Dietary Guidelines and the WIC program recognize the importance of dairy foods in healthy diets, which supply a unique package of nutrients, including calcium, potassium and magnesium which are lacking in the diets of many Americans. While the WIC food packages in the proposed rule provide the age-appropriate number of servings recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for most groups, that amount is a reduction in dairy from the current WIC packages, which provide up to four servings per day. The proposed rule also limits options for milk substitution within the dairy group, which is not consistent with the Dietary Guidelines recommendations for dairy foods. These changes may make it difficult for women and children to meet nutrient needs.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in its 2004 report WIC Food Packages: Time for a Change, identified three nutrients that are low in the diets of children enrolled in WIC: vitamin E, fiber and potassium. In addition, several other nutrients are lacking among women in WIC: mainly calcium and magnesium, plus vitamins A, C, and B6, and folate. The Dietary Guidelines identified many of the same nutrients as being low in the diets of Americans. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, the milk group is a major contributor of dietary calcium and a substantial contributor of vitamin A, potassium and magnesium.

MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines set up a foundation for a healthy diet by recommending Americans choose three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products each day. The proposed rule does not allow yogurt as a milk substitution, although the IOM report recommends allowing yogurt. The proposed rule also decreases the allowed substitution of milk for cheese and does not allow reduced-lactose or lactose-free milk as a substitution. At the same time, the proposed rule allows women and some children to substitute milk with tofu or fortified soy-based beverages (only soy beverages fortified to resemble the nutrient package in milk). For children, USDA acknowledges that dairy is a superior nutrient source for bone health, and does not allow most children to substitute milk for soy-based beverages. A comparison of the nutrients in tofu and milk would suggest tofu cannot adequately replace all the dairy nutrients. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines states that milk alternatives within the milk food group, such as yogurt 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. Yogurt and cheese are often well-accepted by those sensitive to lactose, and also appeal to varied cultural food preferences. Availability of a variety of dairy options would more fully bring the WIC package into agreement with the Dietary Guidelines, while also responding to calls for foods that meet cultural preferences.

National Dairy Council, as well as state and regional dairy council offices have a long history of working collaboratively with state and local WIC programs to conduct nutrition education and look forward to continuing this effort.

For more information on the health benefits of dairy, visit http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/ .

NDC Media Hotline 312-240-2880 ndc@dairyinformation.com

National Dairy Council

CONTACT: NDC Media Hotline, +1-312-240-2880, ndc@dairyinformation.com

Web site: http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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