Food voucher program to pay for more healthy foods

Minnesota is changing its food program for low-income women and children this weekend. Its making some major changes in the kind of foods being offered to participants.

The Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, food program, provides vouchers that can be used to buy specific foods.

State officials say they're changing what is on that list of foods, and encouraging the state's 141,000 participants to eat more healthy diets. The changes also apply to stores.

WIC Director for Minnesota Betsy Clark says small neighborhood stores that participate in WIC will have to provide a wider mix of foods.

"We're excited about this initiative, because many of the stores have made available fresh fruits and vegetables, where they haven't had them before. And the WIC vouchers kind of gives them an assured market for those products," said Clark.

The changes take effect Saturday. They will promote a wider variety of fresh vegetables, more fiber-rich foods, and less of other foods, like fruit juices.