When I began working as a nutritionist with low-income families in 1990, children received significantly more juice than they do today. We often saw them filling up on it instead of meals and healthy snacks, while showing less interest in fruits and vegetables.
Over the decades, our approach to nutrition evolved along with the science. So did the federal nutrition program at the center of my work, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC.
Now, two bills introduced in Congress threaten to reverse that progress. H.R. 9305, the Juice for Healthy Families Act, would increase the amount of juice provided through WIC, while H.R. 9304, the Juice Access Improvement Act, would make juice the default benefit rather than allowing states to default to a higher fruit and vegetable benefit.
Supporters argue that 100% juice is a nutritious, convenient option and that the bills would give WIC families greater choice and flexibility. I don’t disagree that juice can be part of a healthy diet. But the question isn’t whether families should have access to juice; it’s whether WIC should provide more of it at the expense of greater access to whole fruits and vegetables.
Both bills would roll back key aspects of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2024 updates to the WIC food packages. The reasoning behind the change was straightforward: Whole fruits and vegetables provide fiber and other nutritional benefits that juice doesn’t. That’s why nutrition experts recommended that WIC provide less juice and give families more purchasing power for fruits and vegetables.
I have watched those recommendations become policy. Families embraced the change.
Parents told our staff that they were introducing their children to a wider variety of produce. They asked for recipes and ideas for incorporating fruits and vegetables into meals. Children were eating them as snacks and becoming more willing to try different foods.
Today, the fruit and vegetable benefit is one of the most valued parts of the WIC food package for many families we serve. The vast majority of participants in our clinics prefer a higher fruit and vegetable benefit over additional juice. Many redeem this benefit before other WIC items and often use the full amount available to them.
So why should Congress make it harder for those families to buy the foods they are already telling us they want?
Reducing that purchasing power has consequences. Families may purchase fewer fruits and vegetables because they simply cannot afford them, or turn to less expensive, more processed foods. Some may stop returning to WIC if one of the benefits they value most is reduced. In New Jersey, WIC participants can use fruit and vegetable benefits with participating local farmers, helping those dollars support both healthier families and local agriculture.
The proposed legislation could create unnecessary challenges inside WIC clinics. Making juice the default would require nutritionists to spend time changing food packages for families who prefer higher fruit and vegetable benefits. That is time taken away from nutrition education, answering questions, and supporting families.
And it would solve a problem that, in my experience, WIC families are not asking Congress to solve.
WIC food packages have changed because nutrition science has evolved. The current policy reflects years of scientific review, recommendations from leading nutrition experts, and input from thousands of people. USDA even received nearly 2,000 comments supporting the reduction in juice, including support from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Congress should listen to nutrition professionals who understand the science and history behind these changes. Just as importantly, lawmakers should listen to WIC families themselves. The families we serve are asking for greater access to fruits and vegetables, not less.
I have watched WIC evolve for more than 36 years. Moving forward has meant following the evidence, listening to families, and adapting the program to better meet their needs.
Congress should not turn back the clock now.
Robin McRoberts is the Director of Community Programs for the Children & Family Health Institute. She oversees one of New Jersey’s largest WIC programs, which serves over 31,000 participants annually across Monmouth and Middlesex Counties.
