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Issuing Infant Foods Using the Rounding Up Methodology

Food Packages

Guidance & Sample Calculations

WIC regulations allow State agencies to round up to the next whole container of infant food (infant cereal, fruits, vegetables and meat) when the maximum monthly allowance cannot be issued due to varying container sizes of authorized infant foods. State agencies that use the rounding up option must issue infant foods in whole containers based on the methodology specified in section 2.6 of the WIC Food Package Policy and Guidance.

One tool available to assist WIC agencies when using the rounding up methodology is the WIC Infant Foods Calculator. These documents provide further guidance on issuing infant foods using this methodology, as well as sample calculations like the one below.


Example:

Calculation Steps for Using the Rounding Up Methodology When Substituting 1 lb. of bananas for Infant Food Fruit in Food Packages II & III for Partially Breastfed and Fully Formula-Fed Infants

Step

Rounding Up Infant Food Methodology

Example

1

Subtract 8 ounces of infant food for each pound of bananas substituted (up to 16 ounces) from the maximum monthly allowance of infant food for the appropriate food package to obtain the adjusted maximum monthly allowance (MMA) of jarred infant food.

  • MMA for Food Packages II & III for Fully Breastfed infants: 256 oz.
  • MMA for Food Packages II & III Partially Breastfed and Fully Formula-fed infants: 128 oz.

 

128 oz. – 8 oz. = 120 oz.

 

 

    

2

Multiply the adjusted MMA by the timeframe (i.e., the number of months) the infant will receive the food package to get the total amount of infant food in ounces.  See Table A

120 oz. X 6 months = 720 oz.

3

Determine the container size (i.e., ounces) of infant food issued by the State agency.

2-pack of 3.5 oz. jars

(amounts to 7 oz.-pack)

4

Divide total amount of infant food for the time frame by the container size to get the total number of containers to issue.

720 oz. ÷ 7oz.-pack =

102.8 containers

5

Round up to the next whole same-size container if the number of containers is not a whole number

Round 102.8 up to 103

6

Distribute the total containers across the food package time frame as evenly as possible

103 2-pack containers ÷  6 months =  17.1

17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 18 (plus 1 lb of bananas each month)

 

 

 

 

 

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