Next month, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin will be the latest states to launch new food packages from the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) that include fresh produce.  Minnesota and South Dakota will follow on September 1, with the rest of the country coming online by October 1 of this year. WIC families in six states - New York, Delaware, South Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado and Utah - are already receiving the fruit and vegetable vouchers.

"This policy change in WIC translates into $600 million annually in new produce sales," said Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh's vice president of nutrition and health. "Plus, WIC's new nutrition education materials are focused on fresh fruits and vegetables and intended to drive WIC families to the produce aisle."

United Fresh urges all retailers to be proactive and communicate with their state WIC agency to fully maximize the opportunity to sell more produce to WIC families. Although every state WIC agency must follow the same federal regulations, there are a number of decisions that each state is allowed to make that will impact retailers.

These variations include: Whether frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables are allowed in addition to all fresh fruits and vegetables (except white potatoes); whether WIC participants can use cash to pay the difference at check-out if the cost exceeds the value of the fruit and/or vegetable vouchers presented and whether retail point-of-sale messages are allowed and what messages can be communicated. Therefore, it's critical that retailers be in communication with their state WIC agency in order to clarify state-specific rules. In order to facilitate dialogue, a list of state WIC directors can be found here.

For additional information on WIC, please contact Dr. DiSogra at 202-303-3400.