Review of WIC Food Packages: An Evaluation of White Potatoes in the Cash Value Voucher assesses the impact of 2009 regulation to allow the purchase of vegetables and fruits, excluding white potatoes, with a cash value voucher on food and nutrient intakes of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) population and to consider whether white potatoes should be permitted for purchase with the voucher. This report considers the effects on diet quality, the health and cultural needs of the WIC population, and allows for effective and efficient administration nationwide in a cost-effective manner. Review of WIC Food Packages: An Evaluation of White Potatoes in the Cash Value Voucher recommends that the U.S. Department of Agriculture should allow white potatoes as a WIC-eligible vegetable, in forms currently permitted for other vegetables, in the cash value voucher pending changes to starchy vegetable intake recommendations in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE TO REVIEW WIC FOOD PACKAGES
• Reviewers
• Summary
• [LETTER TO MR. JAY HIRSCHMAN]
  • THE COMMITTEE'S TASK AND APPROACH
  • RESULTS, FINDINGS, AND CONCLUSIONS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • TABLES
  • REFERENCES
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A Acronyms and Abbreviations
  • Appendix B Statement of Task
  • Appendix C Workshop Agendas
  • Appendix D Literature Search Strategy
  • Appendix E Dietary Reference Intakes
  • Appendix F Description of Sensitivity Analysis Scenarios
  • Appendix G Food Group and Subgroup Intakes
  • Appendix H Nutrient Intakes
  • Appendix I Nutrient Profiles
  • Appendix J Food Group Distributions
  • Appendix K Healthy Eating Index 2010 Assessment
  • Appendix L Background Example Data for Sensitivity Analysis
  • Appendix M Committee Biosketches

This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. AG-3198-D-14-0050_0001-0005 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2015. Review of WIC food packages: An evaluation of white potatoes in the cash value voucher: Letter report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.