As of Oct. 1, more than 10,000 low-income Ventura County families who participate in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program began buying fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and soy products with their WIC checks.

These nutrient-dense, lowerfat items replace some of the juice, milk, cheese and eggs traditionally offered by WIC to low-income pregnant women and their children under 5.

Oct. 1 was the deadline for California and all other states operating the WIC Program to implement a major overhaul in the list of foods provided in this federal assistance program. The revisions to the WIC-authorized foods, which are purchased with special checks in more than 90 Ventura County grocery stores, are mandated by new regulations issued in 2007 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Previously the WIC program allowed participants to purchase only the following items: milk, eggs, 100 percent fruit juice, iron-fortified breakfast cereal, beans and peanut butter. The new allowable foods will include fruit and vegetables, whole-grain foods such as whole-wheat bread and brown rice, and soy foods such as tofu and soy beverages.

Based on a scientific overhaul designed by the Institute of Medicine, the healthy changes align WIC foods with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the first time in the 35year history of the program.

To be eligible for WIC, pregnant, breast-feeding and postpartum mothers and young children up to age 5 must be low-income, that is, annual income at or below $33,000 for a three-person family, and at nutritional risk.

For more information, call the Ventura County WIC Call Center at (800) 781-4449, ext. 3, or go to www.wickworks.ca.gov.