WIC is a preventive public health nutrition program that provides nutrition and breastfeeding education, nutritious foods, and improved access to regular health care and social services to low and moderate-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and young children with, or at risk of developing nutrition-related health problems. To carry out that mission, WIC:
- Promotes and supports exclusive breastfeeding
- Provides health and nutrition screenings for early identification or treatment of existing risk factors that contribute to poor growth rates in infants and children, poor pregnancy outcomes and poor health and nutrition status.
- Refers program participants to needed health care, social and other community services for health protection.
- Conducts nutrition/health counseling designed to improve dietary habits and eliminate or reduce risk factors. The counseling is provided in both individual and peer/group sessions.
- Issues food vouchers containing supplemental foods with essential nutrients found to be deficient or lacking in their diets (the food vouchers are redeemable at approved retail stores in New Jersey).
It is the goal of New Jersey WIC Services to utilize various strategies to reduce the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, and facilitate the improvement of nutritional status by identifying and providing services to prevent nutritional problems and challenges that impact on the nutritional and health status of low-income pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding women, infants and children participating in New Jersey WIC program.
