WIC works hard to provide a variety of foods. We encourage participants, food vendors, and manufacturers to submit new products for review so that we can offer as many products as possible.
How to Submit Foods
Before you submit a product, verify that it isn't already a WIC-approved food and make sure that it meets all requirements:
- Check the WA WIC Shopping Guide or click the “WIC Allowable Foods” button on the WICShopper app to verify that the product meets the food category requirements.
- Check if the product is already on the approved product list by reviewing the Authorized Product List (APL) online or in the WICShopper app.
- To look for the product in the WICShopper app, click on “My Benefits”, click on the Food Category of the food you’re interested in submitting, and then use the Search bar at the top to search for the food (use a key word like the brand name). The app will then show a list of foods matching that criteria that are already WIC-approved.
- Use the "I Couldn't Buy This!" button to report products that you think are WIC-approved but that you can't buy at the store.
- You will be prompted to provide information about the product. The more information you include, the better we can help.
If using email:
Once you have identified that a product is not WIC-approved and you think that it meets all requirements, please submit the following in email to WaWICFoods@doh.wa.gov:
- Clear image of the label, nutrition panel, and the UPC barcode
- Product Name
- Package Size
What to Expect After Submission
After you submit a product, you will receive an automatic reply indicating that we received your email. Please allow at least five business days for a response.
If the product doesn’t meet the requirements, we'll let you know why it wasn’t approved. All products that meet the requirements will be approved. You'll also be notified once the product is added to the APL.
How Foods Are Reviewed
When new products are submitted, we conduct a review to verify that the products meet all WIC requirements. Once verified, we can add approved products to the APL and WIC participants will have the option to purchase them.
Products must meet federal requirements and state criteria before they can be approved. There are two types of reviews.
Formal Review: We use this type of review to request new products from food manufacturers and vendors. If the new products meet WIC requirements, we can add them to the APL. WA WIC usually reviews a few food categories each year.
Informal Review: We use this type of review to assess products daily that are submitted by participants, food vendors, and manufacturers. If products meet all WIC requirements they will be added to the APL.
Example: A WIC participant submits a product through the “I Can’t Buy This” feature on the WICShopper app. We determine that the product is not yet on the APL and meets all WIC requirements, so we add the product to the APL.
You can submit products for review from any WIC Food Category.
| WIC Food Categories | WIC Food Categories |
|---|---|
| Baby cereal | Juice |
| Baby food (fruits and vegetables) | Milk (cow), buttermilk, kiefer |
| Baby food (meats) | Peanut butter |
| Breakfast cereals | Soft corn and whole wheat tortillas |
| Canned beans/dried beans | Soy beverages |
| Cheese | Tofu |
| Eggs | Vegetables (canned, fresh or frozen) |
| Fish (canned ) | Whole grain (brown rice, oats) |
| Fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, herbs) | Whole wheat pasta |
| Fruits (canned or frozen) | Whole wheat/whole grain bread and buns |
| Goat milk | Yogurt |