USDA proposes rule change to allow online WIC food purchases

The USDA has proposed changes to allow online transactions in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. 

The changes will create a more simple, convenient and equitable WIC shopping experience as part of a wider effort to modernize the WIC program, according to a news release.

The proposed rule is open for public comment from Feb. 23 to May 24, the agency said.

“If adopted, this updated rule will create a more equitable model of WIC service delivery,” Jamila Taylor, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, said in the release. “Innovations in the WIC shopping experience are a critical element of modernizing WIC and making WIC resources and services more accessible. Not only is the availability of online shopping options pivotal for saving WIC families time but it also allows access to healthy foods with more ease than ever before.

"Recognizing major shifts in the retail landscape, this proposal meets WIC participants where they are and addresses barriers to food access that are often felt disproportionately by rural and Black and Brown communities," Taylor continued. "It unleashes a new era of innovation, building on State projects to start online WIC shopping platforms and encouraging a program-wide shift toward modern transaction technologies like mobile payments. These proposed changes open the door to new internet vendors who can meet the specific needs of WIC participants, ideally incorporating features that will simplify and streamline the WIC shopping experience, like filters for WIC-approved items.”

Taylor said in the release that USDA's proposal is a “major step in the right direction” for healthier families across the country.