Each year, the United States Department of Agriculture estimates the number of people eligible to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the number who will likely participate, and the expected cost of food. These estimates are used in...

The ability of food stamps to ameliorate food insufficiency in the U.S. is estimated with self-selection models which incorporate the systematic differences between eligible food stamp participants and non-participants. The analysis is performed with a sample of eligible households from the 1992...

After controlling for self-selection bias, participation in the WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) has a significant positive effect on children's intakes of iron, folate, and vitamin B-6. Iron is one of the five nutrients targeted by the...

USDA administers 15 domestic food assistance programs that serve an estimated 1 in 5 Americans at some point during the year. Each program targets specific populations with different nutritional needs. These programs work individually and in concert to provide a nutritional safety net for...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) promotes breastfeeding as the preferred method for feeding infants. The breastfeeding rates among women participating in WIC, although improving, continue to be significantly lower than the Healthy People 2010...

Federal expenditures for USDA’s food assistance programs totaled almost $53 billion in fiscal 2006, a 4-percent increase over the previous fiscal year. This was the sixth consecutive year in which food assistance expenditures increased and the fourth consecutive year in which they exceeded the...

In fall 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated areas along much of the Gulf Coast resulting in large increases in food stamp caseloads and benefits issued. In November 2005, the number of people receiving food stamps reached a record 29.7 million, or about 4 million more...

Rebates from infant formula manufacturers to State agencies that administer the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) support over one-quarter of all WIC participants. However, concerns have been raised that WIC and its infant formula rebate program may...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental food, nutrition education (including breastfeeding promotion and support), and referrals to health care and other social services to low-income, nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and...