Overview
- The New York State Department of Health confirmed Thursday that it will add the first Cholov Yisroel infant formula to the state WIC formulary, with the product scheduled to appear later this month.
- The approval follows a three-year advocacy campaign led by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty working with Governor Kathy Hochul’s office and Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.
- Met Council staffer Hannah Lupien identified a Cholov Yisroel formula in 2025 that meets the USDA iron minimum, resolving a prior 0.1 milligram shortfall that had kept such products off the WIC list.
- Met Council says the approved product is manufactured by a British company though the brand has not been publicly named, and the organization expects it to be stocked at WIC-authorized retailers at similar prices to other covered formulas.
- Advocates say the change will let tens of thousands of Orthodox families in neighborhoods such as Borough Park, Williamsburg, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Far Rockaway, Monsey and Kiryas Joel redeem benefits without compromising religious dietary rules and creates a model for fixing cultural access gaps in public programs.