WIC During COVID-19: Participation and Benefit Redemption Since the Onset of the Pandemic (FRAC Report)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal nutrition program that provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals for nutritionally at-risk infants, children up to 5 years old, and pregnant and postpartum individuals from households with low incomes.

WIC improves participants’ health, dietary intake, and birth and health outcomes. The program also supports learning and development, reduces food insecurity, and helps to alleviate poverty. In addition, WIC supports economic stability and improves the availability of healthy foods in low-income communities through participating stores.

This report from the Food Research & Action Center details the change in WIC participation and benefit redemption food costs during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 through February 2022) and offers recommendations to strengthen WIC now and beyond the pandemic.