Authorized Food List
On Friday, February 6th, all vendors received an email detailing recent changes and copies of the authorized food list in English and Spanish.
- If you did not receive this email, please contact us, and we will resend it.
- The following changes were made:
- The organic brands Bella Terra and Bionaturae have been removed from the whole wheat pasta options.
- The Hy-Top brand of soft corn tortillas is no longer an authorized option.
- The following cereals have been added to the WIC Eligible cereals list:
- Cheerios Veggie Blends Apple Strawberry (18 oz)
- Please note that Strawberry Banana Cheerios are still NOT WIC-eligible.
- Cheerios Veggie Blends Blueberry Banana (18 oz)
- Frosted Mini Wheats Cocoa (13.3 oz and 20 oz)
- The following cereals have been removed from the WIC Cereal options:
- Cheerios Oat Crunch (Berry)
- Honey-flavored cornflakes
- Kellogg's Complete Bran
- Additionally, the Great Value brand of soy milk has been removed from the WIC-eligible cereals, while Bettergoods has been added as a WIC-eligible option.
2025 Annual Training
All vendor locations are required to complete their annual training this spring. Detailed instructions on how to complete the training will be provided in early March. The training will be conducted via a webinar, and at least one representative from your store must attend. Once they complete the webinar, a certificate of completion will be emailed to the person who registered for the class through DocuSign for finalization. Vendors who complete the training and receive certificates will be eligible for contract renewal. If you need to update the email address on file for your store or change the primary contact, please email us your store's details along with the correct email address.
Vendor Compliance
Our compliance unit wants to remind vendors that you must not use a scan sheet or any other document to scan UPCs for items. For WIC transactions, the item itself must be scanned. This policy is in place to minimize the risk of errors and to prevent the accidental swapping of benefits.
Additionally, for vendors using stand-beside equipment, please ensure you are entering the shelf price for each marked item. Entering a price that does not reflect the item's shelf or sale price is considered overcharging and may result in sanctions.
Email Communications
All department communications will be sent to vendors via email. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure we have the correct and most reliable email addresses. We recommend providing at least one email address for the corporate or entity level. This will be the primary contact for sending any contract renewals or legal changes to the contract.
Additionally, please provide at least one email address for the primary contact at each store. This will be used to send communications about specific issues that may arise at the store and reports related to problems encountered during WIC transactions.
Any general communications, such as announcements for quarterly calls or updates to the food list, will be sent to both email contacts on file for each store.
Vendor Trainings
Our partners at the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) have made a cashier training program available on their website. We recommend that all front-end staff complete this training at least during their onboarding process, and they can return to it at any time. While the cashier training video is not currently mandatory, it is a helpful resource for vendors to train their employees on how WIC works. However, the store is responsible for training personnel to complete WIC transactions using their specific point-of-sale system.
Q & A
Open for questions from vendors on call.
What should we do if the price of eggs exceeds what we are being paid?
We are aware that the price of eggs has gone up very quickly. NTEs are usually set at the beginning of each month based on shelf prices from the previous month. However, since the price has increased so rapidly in the case of eggs, we are working on adjusting our NTEs for this category to reflect the current shelf prices better. Vendors will be reimbursed the NTE and may not ask participants to pay the difference in these prices, as that violates the contract and USDA regulations.
Can vendors know what NTEs are so we don't charge more than the NTE?
We do not publish NTEs for categories. Vendors should request the shelf price of all food items purchased with WIC. If you request the shelf price and the NTE is lower, you will be expected to pay that cost; however, it is not a violation of the contract. The violations occur when vendors charge WIC customers prices for food products that are not the published shelf price or the discounted price if coupons or discounts are applied.
Are pie pumpkins considered decorative or squash?
Pie pumpkins are WIC-eligible and can be redeemed with CVB. Decorative pumpkins or gourds are not WIC-eligible.
Are precut fruits and vegetables WIC eligible?
Convenience-cut fruits and vegetables are WIC-eligible as long as the containers only contain plain fruits and vegetables, not nuts, seeds, dried fruits, sauces, dips, or dressings. So, party platters of fruits or vegetables with a dip or salad kits with condiments are not WIC-eligible.
Some customers can purchase Juicy Juice flavors other than Apple. Are these juices still WIC-eligible?
If an item scans as WIC-eligible and the benefits are deducted from the participant's card, then the item is WIC-eligible. We will review the APL to confirm that any Juicy Juice flavors other than Apple are removed from the APL correctly.
Is the Simply Plant-Based formula the same as Enfamil ProSobee?
Enfamil ProSobee changed its label a few years ago, and now the phrase "Simply Plant-Based" is shown in large font on the cans; however, at the top of the label, it is still marked Enfamil ProSobee. This is the WIC-eligible formula that all vendors must maintain in stock at all times to meet minimum stocking requirements.
Are we right to think anything that scans through the WIC machine as WIC-eligible is okay to sell?
Yes, anytime an item scans as WIC-eligible for a WIC shopper, then the customer should be allowed to purchase the benefits. Vendors do not have any control over what items will / will not scan as WIC-eligible, except for fresh produce items. All vendors with an integrated ECR must map PLUs and UPCs of fresh produce items to the corresponding PLU for the item or to the generic fresh fruit & vegetable PLU of 4469. Note that FRESH fruits and vegetables are the only exceptions to this; otherwise, scan the UPC of the item and let the system determine if it is WIC-eligible.
How is it determined what items are added and removed from the APL or when the Authorized Food List is changed, such as removing organic pasta or only allowing specific Juicy Juice flavors?
These determinations are made by nutrition staff based on the nutritional content of the products and USDA regulations that require minimum nutritional values for all WIC-eligible products. So, changes are made based on changes to regulations, changes to packaging, or changes in ingredients and nutrition values of items over time.
If our store uses house-made barcodes for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, how can we mark them as WIC-eligible?
The person responsible for mapping fresh produce items at your store must map those store UPCs to the corresponding PLU for those items or to the generic PLU for fresh fruits & vegetables. We cannot tell vendors how to do this mapping since it will vary based on POS systems. However, we recommend that you speak with your POS provider to ensure that you know how and who is responsible for doing this, and communicate with that person regularly as UPCs are added, removed, or changed in your store.
If we are bringing in fruits and vegetables from a different company and it is not ringing up as WIC-eligible, should we submit those UPCs to be added to the APL?
If it is a WIC-eligible fresh fruit or vegetable, then it is the vendor's responsibility to map that UPC to the appropriate PLU. Suppose it is a frozen or canned fruit or vegetable or any other food item that meets the requirements outlined on the Authorized Food List and is not currently on the APL. In that case, you may submit that product for review by our nutrition staff, and they will determine if the item should be added to the APL or not. Information on submitting a UPC can be found on the WIC Vendor Webpage under Illinois IDHS: Illinois WIC Authorized Foods.
Communications
WIC Vendor Contacts:
- Jeff Peddycoart Assistant Bureau Chief
- Lisa Cunningham EBT Coordinator
- Harry Lobb Compliance Coordinator
- Josh Grace Compliance Staff
- Anna Sabin Vendor Relations Coordinator
- Jessica Meredith, Chastity Durbin, Vendor Relations Staff
