The national food program is a $5 billion program that helps 8 million low-income people survive. The program is so large that it actually feeds half of all the infants in the country and one-fourth of the children between one and four years old. Thus, the Academy would like to see these children and their mothers eat healthier diets.
The National Academy of Sciences has recommended sweeping changes in the food program for women and children to add fruit and vegetables and reduce eggs, milk and juice.
These would be the biggest changes in the history of the program, which helps feed 8 million low-income people at a cost of more than $5 billion a year.
A panel created by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the academy, said the program should issue vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
The vouchers would provide $8 a month for each child and $10 a month for each woman in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
That corresponds to one or two servings of produce a day.
The program helps feed half of all infants, and one-fourth of all children ages 1 to 4.
Since 1974 the program has provided vouchers for eggs, cereal, cheese, dried beans, infant formula, juice and milk.