Sunflower seeds butter unfold with roasted seeds picture from Freepik
by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
The WIC (Ladies, Infants, Kids) Program, at present supplies free wholesome meals, breastfeeding help, diet schooling, and referrals to different companies to low-income pregnant and post-partum individuals, infants, and kids as much as age 5. It supplies individuals with vouchers which might be used to buy particular meals which might be recognized as being nutritious. In 2024 the checklist of meals that may be bought with WIC vouchers was revised.
The adjustments will likely be phased in over the 24 months from the publication of the ultimate rule, with a couple of exceptions. One change was permitting particular person WIC State businesses the choice to authorize nut and seed butters as an alternative to peanut butter in two methods. WIC vouchers can be utilized for dry or canned legumes and/or peanut butter with 18 ounces of peanut butter equal to 1 pound dry legumes or 64 ounces of canned legumes. State businesses have the choice of authorizing the substitute of peanut butter with nut or seed butter in a 1:1 ratio (1). In different phrases, 18 ounces of an accredited nut or seed butter could possibly be used to exchange 18 ounces of peanut butter. State businesses even have the choice of authorizing 18 ounces of nut and seed butters to substitute for every dozen eggs when individually tailoring meals packages (1).
If a state company authorizes using nut and seed butters as an alternative to peanut butter, the nut or seed butter might be creamy or chunky; common or decreased fats; salted or unsalted. It can’t include marshmallows, honey, jelly, chocolate, or related components. Nut or seed butters “should present comparable nutritive worth to peanut butter (i.e., protein and iron)” (2).
I used to be inquisitive about how the iron and protein in chosen nut and seed butters compares to peanut butter. To date, I’ve not seen a state checklist of WIC-approved meals that features nut or seed butters.
In line with USDA’s FoodData Central, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter has 7.1 grams of protein and 0.56 milligrams of iron.
Right here’s what FoodData Central (and, as indicated, product labels) report about some nut and seed butters:
| Product (2 Tablespoons) | Protein (grams) | Iron (milligrams) |
| Almond butter | 6.6 | 1.31 |
| Cashew butter | 3.9 | 1.57 |
| Hazelnut butter (product label) | 4 | 0 |
| Tahini (sesame seed butter) | 5.9 | 2.10 |
| Sunflower seed butter (product label) | 7 | 1.44 |
| Hempseed butter (product label) | 9 | 2.7 |
Based mostly on this comparability, sunflower seed butter, hempseed butter, and probably almond butter appear like the most probably candidates to function substitutes for peanut butter. We’ll proceed to observe and report on this because the adjustments to the WIC meals packages are phased in.
References
- Supplemental Meals. 7 CFR Half 246.10. https://www.ecfr.gov/present/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-246/subpart-D/section-246.10. Could 13, 2025.
- USDA Meals and Diet Providers. WIC Meals Packages – Regulatory Necessities for WIC-Eligible Meals. https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/food-packages/regulatory-requirements. Could 15, 2025.
To learn extra in regards to the WIC program see:
WIC Program Updates (2024)
WIC Program Updates: Do They mirror Modifications Supported by VRG? (2024)
Plant-based Dairy Alternate options within the WIC Program (2024)
USDA Points Closing Rule Updating the WIC Program (2024)
USDA Proposes Updates to the WIC Program (2022)
WIC Packages Provide Meals For Vegans (2020)
WIC Farmers Market Program (2020)
