LANSING, MI - Participants in the Women Infants and Children program can keep choosing Jif and Skippy peanut butter under language in the recently-passed budget.

The state's had an on-again, off-again relationship with the allowability of name-brand peanut butter for WIC recipients. The WIC program, administered by states through federal grants, provides supplemental foods to low-income pregnant and post-partum women and children up to age 5 who are at a nutritional risk.

Prior to Oct. 15, 2013, Michiganders receiving WIC food assistance could buy national name brands and store brands of peanut butter in standard-sized containers. But from then until July 11, 2016, purchasing national brand peanut butters like Jif, Skippy, Reese's and Peter Pan was prohibited. WIC recipients could only purchase store brands like Spartan, Meijer and Valu Time.

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Chair Sen. Jim Marleau, R-Lake Orion, fought to bring back name-brand peanut butter as an option during the last budget cycle, and won out on keeping language allowing name-brand peanut butter purchases in the budget this year.

"I just don't believe that a national brand should be eliminated. And if you start here where's it going to be next? Is Kellogg's going to be next?" Marleau said.

He said other WIC-eligible products don't have any similar restrictions against all the nationally-distributed brands.

But restricting the peanut butter to only generic brands came with a cost savings. In Fiscal Year 2015 budget language, the legislature required the Department of Community Health to produce a report on how much it cost to allow the purchase of name-brand peanut butter.

The answer was $915,225, based on the purchase of 1.15 million jars of peanut butter at an average of 79 cents more for the nationally branded peanut butter.

But Marleau said he doesn't believe the cost is actually that high, because at least one of the national brand peanut butters is usually on sale.

"In my opinion as a former retailer, spending many many years of my life in retail, I don't buy that," Marleau said.

The Governor and House had recommended removing the language requiring WIC to cover national brand peanut butters in the budget the legislature just passed, which will carry the budget from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018. But the Senate won out, and got the language, and the national peanut butter, included.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the WIC program in Michigan, said the peanut butter switch came from the legislature.

"This was really a legislative initiative. Generic brand peanut butter provides the same nutritional value as name brand peanut butter. That being said, the appropriations bill gives WIC clients more options," said department spokeswoman Jen Eisner.

Marleau said the program was designed to provide children with healthy foods, and the more expensive peanut butter did that more efficiently.

"I also can remember many years ago when I was much younger, the generic brands didn't taste as well. So if the idea is to get the protein to the children to eat it, maybe we ought to give them something that they eat, and I think the national brands have proven that it does taste better," Marleau said.

He said he did not have an interest in any big peanut butter brands. And while he fought to include the national brands of peanut butter, you won't find him sampling any.

"I'm allergic to peanut butter, so it's not because I need it," he joked.