I went to the USDA’s WIC website and skimmed through a long report on the proposed new food guidelines and the process by which they were established. There were a fair number of foods allowed under WIC: canned fish, eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, legumes, and breakfast cereal. Allowable quantities of other items were reduced to make room for the two new categories: fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Given the variety of allowable foods, I’d hardly say that WIC “emphasizes grains.” WIC guidelines are quite specific, with minimum whole grain and fiber content requirements and a prohibition on foods with added sugars, fats, and sodium. Since added fats are usually rancid vegetable fats, this is a good thing.

The monthly produce allowance is $6 for a child, $8 for an adult. I spend more than that in one week buying kale, collards, brussel sprouts, cabbage, onions, and apples at my local farmers’ market. I’d have a tough time stretching those few dollars even on frozen peas, carrots, and beans.

Revised WIC still does not include meat, and pastured meats would be prohibitively expensive anyway. Little or no meat is better than factory farm meat. Even whole grains are better than factory farm meat.

We also have to consider the diverse cultural backgrounds of many WIC participants. Hispanics make up only 6% of our community yet comprise about a quarter of the local food bank recipients, and I would guess that the WIC rolls have a similar demographic. A traditional diet includes rice, beans, and tortillas. It may not be ideal, but it is far healthier than eating frankenfood concoctions with ingredient lists as long as my arm.