Participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program can now use their monthly checks at New York farmers markets to purchase fresh produce. New York is the first state in the nation to allow the use of WIC checks at farmers markets.
A pilot program conducted in 2006 by the Department of Health showed that WIC participants prefer fresh produce over canned or frozen products when fresh is available. In New York, approximately 520,000 women, infants, and children participate in the WIC program every month. The program received approximately $420 million in funding from USDA this year and is administered by the New York State Department of Health’s Division of Nutrition.