The federal WIC (Women, Infant and Children) Program has provided food assistance targeted at “low income pregnant, breastfeeding, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, infants and children up to five years of age who are at nutritional risk” since the 1970s. Recently, WIC has been criticized for the lack of fresh food options that it allows participants to purchase, relying on milk, eggs, cheese and breakfast cereal to feed America’s youth. Until last month, the only fruits and veggies permitted were carrots for breastfeeding mothers. I wonder what Michael Pollan would think of WIC’s reliance on “scientific nutrition rationale.”

In December, the USDA changed its mind. Next month, states will implement an addition to the program that provides a whopping $8 to each WIC recipient for the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Not much, to be sure, but most WIC participants also get benefits from other programs, like Food Stamps.

Around these parts, that $8 will have to spent at the supermarket.

You see, there is already a WIC program in place — the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program — that provides money to moms and kids to be used at farmers' markets for the purchase of locally grown fruits and vegetables, but Florida isn’t pushing participation. In 2007 we received less federal money for the program than 22 other states and districts, including places like Washington, D.C. and Iowa. The FMNP coupons Florida does distribute are only authorized for use in 17 out of 67 Florida counties. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee are not on the list.

All of this comes on the heels of a UCLA study that followed two groups of WIC participants — one given an extra $10 in coupons for local farmers' markets and one given $10 for fruits and vegetables at the supermarket. After 6 months, the farmers markets group consumed almost twice as many extra daily servings of fruits and vegetables than the supermarket group.

Now that's an efficient way to promote nutrition.

This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2008.