A recent study conducted by the Department of Community Health Sciences at UCLA showed that when low-income women were given vouchers for farmer’s markets, poorer families increased their fruit and vegetable consumption, and sustained that consumption post-study.

Lower income families have been shown to consume lower amounts of fruits and vegetables than those families in higher income brackets, leaving them more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies. Not a big surprise when you realize the federally-funded Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program doesn’t subsidize the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Fortunatley, the US Department of Agriculture and various other health groups have revised the WIC program to include these nutritional staples. States will begin implementing the new rules in February.

By Giulia Rozzi

Looks like more hard times for low income mother’s and their kids.

According to Feministing Bush’s proposed spending on the Womens, Infants and Childrens Program (which provides food vouchers to low-income women and their children up to age 5) would leave roughly half a million people in the lurch.

Meanwhile prices for milk and cheese have increased leaving many WIC members struggling.

For more on the WIC program visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/