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AUGUST 20 - 26, 2026
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Providing Cholov Yisroel baby formula By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY awarshavsky@liherald.com
For the first time in New York, Orthodox Jewish families will have access through the state’s Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, WIC, to a Cholov Yisroel infant for mula — dairy produced under Jewish supervision. The change could have particular significance in the Five Towns, where the UJA-Federation of New York’s 2023 Jewish Community Study estimates there are more than 40,000 Jewish families — 69 percent of whom identify as Orthodox Jews — including 15,000 Jewish children. Far Rockaway is another community noted for its Jewish population. While Cholov Yisroel formulas exist, the products considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were 0.1 milligrams below the federal iron requirement, keeping them
What is WIC? The WIC program, Women, infants and children, is a federal nutrition program that helps parents provide food for their families. WIC provides fully formula-fed infants ages 1 to 3 months with nine 12.5ounce containers of powdered formula per month and 10 containers per month for infants ages 4 to 5 months, according to state WIC guidelines. — USDA Food and Nutrition Organization
from being covered by WIC. Cholov Yisroel baby formula brands cost between $33 and $43, according to Wester n Kosher. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a Jewish nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty, discovered the discrepancy in 2023 after one of its member agencies reported that WICeligible mothers were leaving stores without formula. The change was approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Health Commissioner James V. McDonald. “For years, mothers were told that WIC would help them buy formula for their babies,” David G. Greenfield, chief executive officer of Met Council, said in a news release. “Not a single approved product was Cholov Yisroel.” The Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry in Cedarhurst, is run by the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC. While the pantry does not accept WIC, Stacey Feldman, the JCC’s executive director, said the decision is significant for families who keep Cholov Yisroel. “We are pleased that baby for mula options have been expanded to include those that are Cholov Yisroel,” Feldman wrote in email. “Formula is an expensive item and now that it will be offered, it enables famil i e s t o s p e n d wh a t l i t t l e resources they may have on other items they need for their children which may not be covered. Greenfield thanked Hochul, McDonald and the state Health Department for making the change, saying WIC “finally works for every New York family.” “No mother should have to choose between keeping Cholov Yisroel and feeding her baby,” Greenfield wrote. “For the fam-
Courtesy Joshua Steinreich
Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, and David G. Greenfield, chief executive officer of Met Council, spent most of the last three years working to get a Cholov Yisroel baby formula on the state’s WIC formulary. ilies affected, it is life changing.” As of press time, the state health department did not reply for comment.