Governor Kathy Hochul approved the first Cholov Yisroel infant formula for New York WIC, and the state will add it to the formulary later this month. The change gives families in New York a formula option that fits WIC rules and Cholov Yisroel requirements.
David Greenfield said, “No mother should have to choose between keeping Cholov Yisroel and feeding her baby.” He also said, “This may look like one more item on a government list. For the families affected, it is life-changing. It means a benefit they were always entitled to will finally work for them.”
Hochul and McDonald approve
The New York State Department of Health said Governor Kathy Hochul approved the change under the leadership of Hochul and State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. New York WIC will add the formula later this month, ending a three-year campaign led by Met Council.
WIC is a federal nutrition program for women, infants and children, and each state decides which infant formulas its program will cover. In New York, that authority had left families with more than 40 formulas on the list but none that were Cholov Yisroel.
Hannah Lupien finds formula
Hannah Lupien, Met Council’s Managing Director of Food Programs, identified a Cholov Yisroel formula that met the USDA’s iron standard in 2025. Met Council brought the product to the state and said it met the federal requirements.
That resolved a problem that had blocked earlier options. The products previously considered for Cholov Yisroel formula fell 0.1 milligrams short of the USDA’s minimum iron requirement.
New York families benefit
The change will benefit tens of thousands of frum families across New York, including families in Boro Park, Williamsburg, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Far Rockaway, Monsey and Kiryas Joel. Many of the formulas already listed in New York carried kosher certification, but none matched the Cholov Yisroel standard.
For parents using WIC, the practical effect starts when the updated formulary takes effect later this month. The remaining open question is which exact Cholov Yisroel formula New York WIC will list.
