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NEWS FROM
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
November 2, 2009
WIC Program Adds a Wider Variety of Healthy, Delicious Foods
Cambridge, Somerville, MA…The Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has introduced a new
food package emphasizing healthy eating. It is the most substantial
change since the WIC program's inception over 30 years ago.
Since 1974, WIC has provided nutrition counseling, breastfeeding
support, referrals to health and social services, and checks to
receive free healthy foods for eligible families. WIC's goal is
to keep pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and children
under five healthy.
The new food package offers participants greater variety and more
culturally appropriate foods. In addition to the staple WIC foods
(milk, cheese, eggs, cereals, peanut butter, and juice), fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, protein foods, and dairy food substitutes
(with medical necessity) have been added. Additionally, WIC now
requires vendors to provide a minimum of two fresh fruit and vegetable
choices in their stores in order to be approved for the program.
The changes provide a platform for healthy eating habits, which
is reinforced by the WIC program's nutrition education goals and
messages provided by WIC nutritionists. These goals include improving
the quality of families' diets, preventing obesity, and promoting
breastfeeding.
"I'm very encouraged to learn of these latest changes in the
food choices offered by WIC, and pleased to see that the principles
of Shape Up Somerville continue to extend further into the daily
lives of residents in our community," said Somerville Mayor
Joseph A. Curtatone. "This is yet one more great step to curbing
childhood obesity nationwide."
The modifications to the WIC food package, based on the Food and
Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations,
reinforce the current US Dietary Guidelines of Americans and Infant
Feeding Guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and should
result in improved diets for WIC participants.
The Cambridge/Somerville WIC Program, housed at the Cambridge Health
Alliance, serves 5,400 participants in Cambridge, Somerville, and
the surrounding areas. WIC staff members speak Spanish, Portuguese,
French, and Mandarin. To find out if you are eligible for WIC, please
call the Cambridge/Somerville WIC Program at 617-666-5059 or 617-665-3750
or visit http://www.challiance.org/comm_affairs/wic_program.shtml.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative, award-winning
health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville,
and Boston's metro-north communities. It includes three hospital
campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, the
Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. CHA
is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated
with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine,
and Tufts University School of Medicine. Visit us online at www.challiance.org.
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Media Contact
David Cecere
Cambridge Health Alliance
Phone: 617-503-8428
Cell: 617-921-9613
dcecere@challiance.org
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