Healthy steps: WIC approach should be a model for food stamp program

It is not earth-shattering news, but for the first time, those who get assistance from the WIC program, which is designed for families with young children, will be able to buy potatoes with their vouchers.

And that is a big deal for families who are trying to make ends meet.

But it brings up another topic -- one that is on the minds of many, especially this time of year.

We all want to provide assistance for families who are struggling to fill their larders, but how do we do it efficiently, intelligently and with the most benefit possible?

Most of us are aware, especially if we have been behind people using food stamps in a store, that the program does not always do what it was intended to do -- provide the right foods to make sure a family is well-nourished. And we have also heard the stories of abuse and cards that are traded for less-than-honest purposes.

So how do we make sure the food stamp benefit is used properly?

The answer is right under our noses.

There is a program that works and puts healthy food, not junk, onto the tables of American families -- the WIC program.

Recipients receive a voucher and must follow strict instructions on what they can bring home using WIC dollars -- milk, juice, whole grain cereals, foods like that.

It is a model we should follow if we are serious about changing the food stamp program to one that actually makes it what it should be -- a way to make sure hungry families get fed.

What would be wrong with setting much stricter standards for use of a food stamp card? What if a family's monthly allotment came with instructions that included 10 cans of vegetables, two chickens, pork chops, potatoes and rice and bread, fruit and other healthy food items like oatmeal and eggs?

What if that card acted more like a voucher than a credit card and directed the recipient to the nutritious choices and did not allow frivolous, expensive convenience foods and unhealthy choices?

The benefits would be many -- better health for poor families, lower health care costs and less waste and cheating.

There does not seem to be a downside.

And while we are at it, why couldn't we require a class once a month that teaches recipients how to create delicious and nutritious meals for their families using the approved food stamp items?

It seems like a common sense plan -- a real step forward toward the independence and chance for a better life for the nation's struggling families. And who knows, it might open up more money to be used to help them get back on their feet in other ways.

And it is reminiscent of another bit of advice, too, an adage about teaching a man to fish rather than simply handing him the fish.

Funny how sometimes the answers to the most pressing modern dilemmas can be found in the wisdom we grew up with ourselves.

Perhaps we should heed it more often.

Published in Editorials on December 11, 2014 10:46 AM