Dear Lactnet Friends;

I hope that none of the lactation professionals working their hearts out to
do good work in WIC programs across the US are taking this discussion
personally. This is a professional discussion; the only arrows are directed
at US government officials that support breastfeeding on one hand, and
purchase between 57 and 68% of the formula sold in the US with the other.

Unfortunately, every study I have read recently about breastfeeding
identifies that initiation and duration of breastfeeding is lower in the
WIC population. Gabrielle Palmer has written about WIC in the 3rd edition
of her wonderful book, The Politics of Breastfeeding. I sent this book to
one of the heads of my Health Department and was delighted to hear that she
liked the book; I hope it opens her eyes to the topic!!!


<http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR93/ERR93.pdf>

The abstract from this 2010 USDA study says:

"The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC)  provides participating infants with free infant formula.
This study estimated that between 57 and 68 percent of all infant formula
sold in the United States was purchased through  WIC, based on 2004-06
data, and that formula costs to the WIC program have increased.  Typically,
WIC State agencies receive substantial rebates from manufacturers for each
 can of formula provided through the program. Each WIC State agency, or
group of agencies, awards a contract to the manufacturer offering the
lowest net wholesale price, defined as the difference between the
manufacturer’s wholesale price and the State agency’s rebate. After
adjusting for inflation, net wholesale prices increased by an average 73
 percent for 26 fluid ounces of reconstituted formula between States’
contracts in effect in  December 2008 and the States’ previous contracts.
Most (72 percent) of the increase in real net wholesale prices was due to
higher wholesale prices, the rest (28 percent) was due to lower rebates. As
a result of the increase in real net wholesale prices, WIC paid about $127
million more for infant formula over the course of a year."


According to Cathy Carothers in the excellent WIC Peer Counseling program,
Grow and Glo, the definition of breastfeeding in WIC is one breastfeed a
day.


According to the December 2011 report, the impact of the new food package
and the WIC Birth Month package (where breastfeeding mothers don't get any
formula from WIC for the first month of their baby's life) was that the
rates of partial breastfeeding went down. "After implementation of the
Interim Rule, fewer WIC mothers were assigned the partial
breastfeeding package, while more mothers were assigned to the full
breastfeeding and full formula packages."

<http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/WIC/FILES/BirthMonth.pdf>

That seems to be the only result, so far, from the revised food package.

Dang, it seemed like such a good strategy.

sigh,
-- 
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI, ANLC, CKC
craniosacral therapy practitioner
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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