Or download the WICShopper app to speed up and simplify your shopping experience. You’ll also be able to plan your purchases to avoid overbuying for the month. It helps if you plan your first shopping trip for a day when you have plenty of time to read labels and become familiar with where the store stocks WIC-approved foods. You can also call your caseworker between appointments or nutrition education classes if you have a question about anything in the WIC program.
Write questions in a notebook so you’ll remember to ask. Your WIC caseworker or nutritionist can also answer questions about WIC-approved foods during your initial appointment and subsequent visits for recertification or nutrition training. Read through your shopping guide before you go to the store so you’re familiar with what’s available. Your local WIC agency or WIC clinic should provide you with a shopping guide that details which foods are eligible for purchase through WIC and which aren’t ( see an example from the state of Tennessee). WIC-eligible nutritionals (certain non-weight-loss meal-replacement or -supplement shakes and bars, such as Ensure).Whole-wheat bread and other whole grains.Whole milk and reduced-fat and nonfat milk.That said, you will be able to purchase some if not all foods in the following categories: However, it’s essential to realize that WIC is organized and run at the state level, so WIC-approved foods and brands differ depending on where you live. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved many foods for WIC participants. You will lose any funds that go unused at the end of the monthly cycle. Benefits do not roll over each month, so it’s essential you keep track of your benefit balance and when those benefits are due to expire. Your benefits will automatically load onto the eWIC card each month, and they will expire at the end of your monthly benefit period. Your eWIC card works just like a debit card, and it takes the place of the WIC checks the government phased out nationally in 2020. For $79 (or just $1.52 per week), join more than 1 million members and don't miss their upcoming stock picks. Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations have an average return of 618%. Understand Your eWic Cardĭo you remember your first WIC appointment, when a caseworker examined you and your family members to determine your eligibility for WIC food benefits? After approval, they gave you an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card called eWIC. The process gets easier over time, but there are some steps you can take to make the most of your WIC benefits and eat healthy on a budget.
Wic approved foods how to#
How to Get the Most From Your WIC Benefits But those aren’t the only ways to stretch your WIC dollars. Strategies like familiarizing yourself with approved WIC items and using coupons can help ensure you make the most of your monthly allowance. And many non-WIC foods are similar in size or look to WIC-approved foods, so if you’re not careful, they won’t be approved when you go to check out.īut once your local WIC office approves you for WIC, you need to get the most you can out of the program benefits. You’re strictly limited to specific types of products, dollar amounts, sizes or weights, or even particular brands due to nutritional content. Shopping for WIC-approved foods can be a bit confusing at first.