Ready-to-Feed or Pre-Prepared Formulas

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service determined that all WIC formulas must be issued in powder or concentrated liquid forms unless:

• The participant's household has unsanitary or restricted water supply or poor refrigeration.
• The person caring for the infant is unable to correctly dilute the concentrated or powder form.
• The formula is only available in ready-to-feed form.

Forspecial medical /prescription formulas only, RTF may also be used if:

• It better accommodates the infant or child's condition.
• It improves the likelihood that the infant/child will consume the formula.

Pre-prepared added starch formulas can be made available for infants with severe gastroesophageal reflux through Maine WIC in the special situation where a child's caregiver is unable to correctly mix and thicken the formula with cereal.

The Maine WIC Nutrition Program provides whole milk for children age 12 to 23 months. Recommendations of the Expert Panel on Blood Cholesterol Levels in Children and Adolescents (National Cholesterol Education Program/NIH), The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition, and The American Heart Association Nutrition Committee state that fat and cholesterol should not be restricted during the first two years of life (AAP, Pediatric Nutrition Handbook, 1993, page 44; NIH, Report of the Expert panel on Blood Cholesterol Levels in Children and Adolescents, 1991, page 1)

[back to top]