New York WIC adds Cholov Yisroel infant formula coverage
Orthodox families in the Five Towns will have a kosher formula option through the state nutrition program for the first time.
New York's Women, Infants and Children program will now cover a Cholov Yisroel infant formula, a first for the state. The change is especially significant in the Five Towns, where the UJA-Federation of New York's 2023 Jewish Community Study counts more than 40,000 Jewish families, 69 percent of whom identify as Orthodox, including 15,000 Jewish children. Far Rockaway is another community with a large Jewish population.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had not approved any Cholov Yisroel formulas because they fell 0.1 milligrams below the federal iron requirement. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty found the gap in 2023 after a member agency reported that WIC-eligible mothers were leaving stores without formula. Cholov Yisroel brands cost between $33 and $43, according to Western Kosher. Governor Kathy Hochul and state Health Commissioner James V. McDonald approved the change.
David G. Greenfield, chief executive officer of Met Council, said in a news release that for years mothers were told WIC would help them buy formula, but no approved product was Cholov Yisroel. He thanked Hochul, McDonald and the Health Department, saying WIC now works for every New York family. Greenfield added that no mother should have to choose between keeping Cholov Yisroel and feeding her baby, calling the change life changing for affected families.
Stacey Feldman, executive director of the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC, which runs the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry in Cedarhurst, said the pantry does not accept WIC but welcomed the expansion. She said formula is expensive and the new coverage lets families spend limited resources on other child necessities. The state Health Department did not reply to a request for comment by press time.