WIC MAGNETIC-STRIPE PILOT GENERATES CONTROVERSY.(U.S. Department of Agriculture encounters retailer resistance to smart card program for Women, Infant, and Children program )(Brief Article)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it plans to test PIN-based, magnetic-stripe cards to distribute benefits to Women, Infant and Children program participants. But the proposal has left state WIC agencies that are issuing, or plan to issue, smart cards afraid that they will lose retailer support, says Arthur Burger, president of the Santa Fe, NM-based consulting firm Burger, Carroll & Associates Inc. "This has the effect of chilling the consensus we have built with retailers, in particular the national chains," he says. "They will say to us, 'Why should we accept smart cards when the USDA is establishing an online standard?'" WIC agencies help pregnant women and women …