US seafood trade association National Fisheries Institute (NFI) has joined the National WIC Association (NWA) as a non-profit organisation/small business partner. The pairing is part of NFI’s efforts to advocate for and strengthen the Special Supplemental Nutrition Programme for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
“Seafood is a renowned superfood and anything we can do to ensure communities at nutritional risk have access to it is important,” NFI President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard said. “Affordable, shelf stable staples like canned salmon are part of the programme and provide a nutrient-rich protein that’s just about unmatched in the health department.”
The WIC program is 50 years old in 2024 and has been a leader in providing families access to healthy foods. In 2022, the US Department of Agriculture announced proposed updates to align WIC packages with the current dietary guidelines that would expand access to seafood for nearly all programme participants.
According to NFI, adding seafood to additional WIC food packages is a crucial step toward addressing one of most under-consumed foods in Americans’ diets. Nearly all Americans across all ages – 90% on average – have seafood intakes below recommended amounts.
“NFI members from Alaska to Georgia supply seafood to the programme and are invested in seeing it thrive,” Picard said.
WIC is a federal grant programme for which Congress authorises a specific amount of funds each year.
