Every month, more than 200,000 moms, babies, and children benefit from the WIC program’s nutritious food distribution through its nutrition education, supplement food provision, and breastfeeding promotion and support services.
Families already eligible for Medicaid or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP) meet the income qualifications for this federally funded program, while new state guidelines mean more families could potentially be eligible.
What is WIC?
The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program provides nutrition education, supplemental food items, and healthcare referrals to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women and children up to age 5. Participants receive their monthly food allowance loaded onto an EBT card that allows them to shop in local grocery stores for milk, eggs, cheese cereals, peanut butter dried/canned beans/peas, fruit & vegetable juices, bread tortillas, brown rice, etc.
WIC strongly promotes breastfeeding; the program provides iron-fortified formula through a contract with one formula manufacturer for infants who cannot breastfeed. Unique recipes may be made available if medically diagnosed feeding problems exist, and written documentation from their physician must be provided.
State agencies determine which infant formula and nutritional supplement brands appear on WIC food lists and which formula and foods can be approved for use within this program. They also select items that must be excluded due to allergies or intolerances and make necessary recommendations accordingly.
Each agency must offer fresh fruits and vegetables in various colors and frozen or canned versions. Frozen trays of prepackaged fruits or vegetables ready to eat are optional, depending on state policy.
How do I apply for WIC?
WIC provides food and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children up to five who are at nutritional risk. Eligibility for this program is determined by income – individuals and families earning below the poverty guidelines established by your state agency may qualify. Applicants should contact their local WIC office to schedule an appointment and access these benefits.
At your appointment, you must present proof of identity and residence. In some instances, documents proving employment status, participation in other aid programs (SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF), income of each household member, and proof of payment will also be necessary. A nurse or nutritionist will provide a free health screening consisting of finger stick blood tests, height and weight measurements, and any discussion regarding nutrition or health concerns you might have during the screening.
After your appointment, WIC staff will review your eligibility and issue you an eWIC card, if available in your region. Regardless of how you receive benefits, your eWIC card and Michigan WIC food list must be brought with you when grocery shopping – this ensures your WIC items are adequately scanned at the checkout counter.
What foods can I purchase with my WIC benefits?
WIC participants can use their eWIC card to purchase nutritious foods and formula from over 1,900 stores throughout the state – such as grocery stores and pharmacies – using an electronic voucher specific to them and their nutritional requirements.
Every month, your eWIC card displays how much of the food and formula items included on your Family Benefits List you are eligible to spend and how many of each item are available for both yourself and your child.
Federal regulations dictate what foods can be purchased with your eWIC benefits and which types are approved for purchase by State agencies; MDCH, for instance, does not permit artificially sweetened products on its food lists for this program.
Other food items available through your eWIC benefits may include milk, cheese, eggs, juice, cereal, bread, whole grains, peanut butter, and canned chunk light tuna or pink salmon (fully breastfeeding mothers only). In addition to what is listed in the WIC Food Guide, many states provide additional nutrition support for eWIC participants; these resources can provide valuable guidance regarding purchasing fruits and vegetables or creating healthier meals for yourself and your children.
What foods can I not purchase with my WIC benefits?
WIC provides nutritionally sound foods for women, infants, and children through its EBT card, which acts like a debit card at participating grocery stores. Once purchased, foods are scanned at the POS machine and subtracted from the total amount owed. Food items include milk, formula, eggs, cheese, bread, cereal beans, peanut butter, fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, healthy snacks, and nutrition education provided to participants or caregivers.
As part of its effort to assist participants with making healthier food choices, MDCH has expanded the list of foods permitted with WIC benefits. This includes offering more frozen and canned items, whole grain products, sugar-sweetened beverages with reduced sweetness, and nut-based milk. A complete listing of all authorized UPCs can be found on Michigan WIC’s website.
As previously allowed foods may contain small amounts of added sugar during canning for safety, sweet peas, the program is currently reviewing potential new food authorizations considering their impact on participants, including those living in drought-ridden regions or without access to home refrigeration. Party trays (a combination of fresh fruits and vegetables with or without dips) are no longer authorized purchases using cash value benefit benefits.
