Washington D.C. – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, commends Congress and the Biden administration for including an increase in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits as part of the stopgap budget resolution passed this week.
The budget resolution includes an extension of the cash value benefit (CVB) increase for produce in the WIC program from Sept. 30 through December 2021. The increase is $24 per month for children, $43 per month for pregnant and postpartum participants, and $47 per month for breastfeeding participants.
“This extension of benefits will greatly help the efforts of independent community grocers to increase access to fresh produce for the food insecure, especially in rural and urban areas where access to such foods may be limited,” said Molly Pfaffenroth, NGA’s senior director of government relations.
About NGA
Washington, D.C.-based NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
