<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 2:56 p.m. Changes coming to Missouri’s Women’s, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition services program.

April 28, 2008 03:56 pm

— It’s a small change, but it should help stretch the food budget of Missouri’s Women’s, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition services program.
In order to maintain current levels of service to participants and reduce the overall cost of the WIC food packages, the WIC program will provide food coupons for only store-brand or generic cereals, store-brand frozen juice and 46-ounce cans of store-brand 100% juice.
These products will replace more expensive name-brand products or products that have more expensive forms or packaging, such as juice in plastic bottles.
The changes are effective May 1. The program will provide a new printed food list for participants to use.
Joyce Doty, program coordinator for the Joplin Health Department, said, “This is a cost-containment measure. We have a growing number of people to serve because the financial situation is getting tight. Our numbers are increasing. We are serving 400 more per month than in previous months.
“We have to have more money to meet this increasing demand. Because of that, the food coupons we issue be for store brands or generic brands only. There will be no name-brand products.’’