It is obvious carrots, beans and tuna were chosen for their nutritional benefits-the entire focal point of the WIC program is healthy mothers, infants, and children. (Perhaps, I didn't make my point clear.) There are other choices within the wide spectrum of the food groups that could accomplish these same health benefits. Why not give our breastfeeding mothers a choice? How about broccoli or greens in the place of carrots? Instead of canned tuna, how about a voucher for a certain quantity of fresh fish, chicken, or even more beans? It is all nice and good that tuna and carrots contain these wonderful vitamins and nutrients but remember they have to be ingested before Mom or baby can reap the numerous health benefits. In the pregnant and Breastfeeding Women packages, cheese can be substituted for fluid milk. Low fat or skim milk, evaporated, or non-fat dry milk can be substituted for whole fluid milk not to mention being given a nice big list of approved cereals to choose from. Peanut butter may be substituted for beans. Influencing changes in cultural dietary habits is a slow educational process that does not occur by simply denying one choices-they still have the choice to slam dunk it all in the trash. Making some concessions in this package could not only help us attain our overall goal toward healthy women, infants, and children but could help in our overall promotion of breastfeeding. This package IS one of the very few weapons we have toward not only promoting optimum health but in promoting breastfeeding. We don't have the budgets to buy all these little bags, key chains, and plastic toys to lure women. One would think just being armed with the facts would be enough but those of us in the trenches know otherwise. If changes can't be made in the choices offered in the Food Package for Exclusively Breastfeeding Moms, it certainly would not be a bad idea to give money since food one can not use certainly will not change attitudes or lives. Am still interested in who makes these decisions on these food packages, and how to put forth our ideas that may make the appropriate changes. Laura H. Ehrenzeller,BA, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and proud!