Unintended consequences of the WIC formula rebate program on infant feeding outcomes: will the new food packages be enough?

Abstract

Approximately half of all mothers of infants born in the United States receive services through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants and Children (WIC). Although WIC promotes breastfeeding, data suggest that, despite advances in the last 2 decades, WIC participants are less likely to initiate breastfeeding, and much less likely to continue, than non-WIC participants, including the non-WIC participants who are eligible for WIC. WIC recently revised their food packages and enhanced the monetary value of the breastfeeding packages. While these changes are an important step in supporting WIC's efforts to promote breastfeeding, other major factors, such as participants' perceptions of the value of the packages and WIC's dependency on rebates from formula companies to fund a portion of the program, may dampen WIC's breastfeeding promotion and support efforts. There is great need for additional research on these issues.