Michigan WIC program announces infant formula changes

Mead Johnson to provide formula effective November 1

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has awarded the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) infant formula manufacturer contract to Mead Johnson through a competitive bidding process.

Michigan WIC will implement the contract with Mead Johnson for a five-year term beginning Sunday, Nov.1. Michigan WIC's current contract with Abbott will remain in effect until Saturday, Oct. 31. WIC formula benefits will then transition from Abbott Similac products to nutritionally comparable Mead Johnson Enfamil products.

Mead Johnson infant formulas available through the WIC contract include:

• Enfamil Infant.
• Enfamil ProSobee.
• Enfamil Gentlease.
• Enfamil AR.
• Enfamil Reguline.

WIC helps ensure the health of pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children by providing nutrition education, nutritious foods, referrals to health and community services, and strong support and encouragement for breastfeeding as the optimal nutrition for infants. WIC offers a wide range of breastfeeding services, including individualized lactation support, peer counselors, breastfeeding classes and access to breast pumps. For women who do not exclusively breastfeed, WIC provides infant formula.

In addition to breastfeeding support and infant formula, WIC also provides supplemental foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, juice, eggs, cereal, peanut butter and dry beans.

Competitive bidding for infant formula is required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which funds WIC. State WIC programs receive a rebate from formula manufacturers on each unit of contract infant formula provided to WIC participants, which helps the program enroll more infants, women and children. Michigan WIC serves approximately 187,000 participants each month, including 40,000 infants.

To learn more about Michigan WIC, visit Michigan.gov/WIC or download the free WIC Connect app. For more information on WIC infant formulas, call 800-942-1636, option 2.

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