INFANT Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The INFANT Act of 2025 amends WIC infant formula contracting rules in the Child Nutrition Act. It changes the definition of competitive bidding so the Secretary or a State agency selects two manufacturers offering the lowest prices through sealed bids for a product used in WIC, rather than relying on a single selected manufacturer.
The bill allows one selected manufacturer to be designated as the primary manufacturer and one as the secondary manufacturer. It also updates related statutory language by replacing references to a primary infant formula manufacturer, specific contracts, and single contract awards with language that fits multiple manufacturer contracts.
Who Benefits and How
WIC infants and families benefit from more supply resilience because a secondary manufacturer can be available in addition to a primary manufacturer. State WIC agencies benefit from clearer authority to award contracts to two low-price infant formula manufacturers. Infant formula manufacturers that previously lost single-manufacturer bids may benefit from a second contract opportunity.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State WIC procurement offices must revise bidding, contracting, rebate, and vendor-management processes to select and administer two manufacturers. USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must update guidance and oversight for the revised contracting structure. Incumbent sole-source WIC formula manufacturers may face more competition and reduced exclusive market share.
Key Provisions
- Amends WIC competitive bidding to select two lowest-price infant formula manufacturers.
- Provides authority to designate one selected manufacturer as primary and one as secondary.
- Replaces single-manufacturer statutory language with manufacturer-contract language.
- Requires WIC procurement systems to handle multiple manufacturer contracts.
- Expands contract opportunities for infant formula manufacturers beyond a single awardee.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Changes WIC infant formula competitive bidding from selection of one lowest-price manufacturer to selection of two lowest-price manufacturers, allowing designation of a primary and secondary manufacturer and updating related contract language.
Key Policy Areas
WIC, Infant Formula, Procurement, Child Nutrition, Supply Resilience
Primary Purpose
Changes WIC infant formula competitive bidding from selection of one lowest-price manufacturer to selection of two lowest-price manufacturers, allowing designation of a primary and secondary manufacturer and updating related contract language.
Policy Domains
Section 2 WIC infant formula contracting changes
Identified Gains
- WIC infants receiving formula
- WIC families using infant formula benefits
- State WIC agencies
- Infant formula manufacturers seeking secondary contracts
Identified Costs
- State WIC procurement offices
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service WIC administrators
- Incumbent WIC infant formula manufacturers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Stefanik (for herself and Mr. Turner of Ohio) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Infant formula manufacturers seeking secondary contracts
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → Secretary administering WIC infant formula procurement
- "state_agency"
- → State WIC agency
- "manufacturers"
- → Two selected infant formula manufacturers
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A procurement process in which the Secretary or a State agency selects two manufacturers offering the lowest sealed-bid price for a WIC product, with one primary and one secondary manufacturer permitted.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology