New policy briefs highlight the need for expanded shopping options and smartphone app modifications to help WIC participants redeem food benefits

Nutrition Policy Institute, in collaboration with the National WIC Association and Pepperdine University, released two policy briefs encouraging modernization efforts for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC. The briefs recommend implementing expanded access to online purchasing options and farmers market purchases for WIC participants and improving WIC smartphone applications to better align their information with vendor systems to improve users' ability to identify and purchase WIC-approved items efficiently. These recommendations were encouraged to reduce the stigma and difficulties participants experience while shopping for WIC foods and to increase full benefit redemption. Evidence to support these recommendations came from a 2023 survey of over 38,000 WIC participants from 19 states, one Indian Tribal Organization, and one US territory and focus groups held in 2024 with 44 WIC participants in 16 states and one Indian Tribal Organization. This project was funded by the National WIC Association from a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.