Section 1. The department of public health, in this chapter called the department, shall administer a program to be called the WIC program, funded by the commonwealth and the United States department of agriculture or other successor federal agency authorized to fund this program, to provide supplemental foods and nutrition education to pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants and young children. The WIC program shall be administered in a manner consistent with applicable federal law (forty-two United States Code section one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, as amended) and the provisions of this chapter. To the extent that the provisions of this chapter conflict with the applicable federal law and regulations, the program shall be administered in a manner consistent with federal law.