The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) began 40 years ago as a pilot program and has since grown to serve over 8 million pregnant women, and mothers of and their infants and young children. Today the program serves more than a quarter of the pregnant women and half of the infants in the United States, at an annual cost of about $6.2 billion. Through its contribution to the nutritional needs of pregnant, breastfeeding, and post-partum women; infants; and children under 5 years of age; this federally supported nutrition assistance program is integral to meeting national nutrition policy goals for a significant portion of the U.S. population. To assure the continued success of the WIC, Congress mandated that the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reevaluate the program's food packages every 10 years. In 2014, the USDA asked the Institute of Medicine to undertake this reevaluation to ensure continued alignment with the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This, the second report of this series, provides a summary of the work of phase I of the study, and serves as the analytical underpinning for phase II in which the committee will report its final conclusions and recommendations. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction and Background 2 The WIC Participant Experience 3 Approach to the Task 4 Nutrient Intakes of WIC-Eligible Populations 5 Food Intake of WIC-Eligible Populations 6 Nutrition-Related Health Risks in the WIC Population 7 Promotion, Motivation, and Support of Breastfeeding with the WIC Food Packages 8 Meeting Diverse Dietary Needs and Preferences: Considerations for the WIC Food Packages 9 Background and Approach to Considering Food Package Options 10 Food Expenditure Analysis 11 Findings and Conclusions Appendix A: Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix B: Glossary Appendix C: Comparison of Institute of Medicine 2006 Recommendations and Regulatory Implementation Appendix D: Composition of the WIC Food Packages Appendix E: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service Funded Studies Describing the Effect of the 2009 WIC Food Package Changes Appendix F: Changes in the WIC Food Packages and Program Participation: Methods Appendix G: Literature Findings on Barriers and Incentives to WIC Participation and Redemption Appendix H: Workshop Agendas Appendix I: Evidence Review Strategy Appendix J: Dietary Reference Intake Values and Nutrients and Foods Analyzed Appendix K: Diet Quality Indexes Appendix L: Household Food Expenditure Analysis Appendix M: Regulatory Impact Analysis Approach Appendix N: Committee Perceptions of the WIC Experience Appendix O: Summary Results from the Diet Quality of American Young Children by WIC Participation Status Appendix P: Nutrient Intake of WIC and WIC-Eligible Populations Appendix Q: Food Intake of WIC and WIC-Eligible Populations Appendix R: Summary of National Dataset Characteristics Applied in the Evaluation of Health Risks Appendix S: Breastfeeding Literature Findings Appendix T: Chronology of Statutes Pertaining to the Definition of WIC Supplemental Foods Appendix U: Committee Biosketches

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. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary Letter Report 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