Wednesday to Sunday, 2026-11-04 to 2026-11-08 · · run 20261109T2330Z
WIC Finalizes Rules for Online Ordering
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The Agriculture Department's Food and Nutrition Administration issued a final rule on November 6, 2026, allowing online ordering and internet-based transactions in the WIC program.
The rule removes barriers to online shopping in WIC, including the prohibition on authorizing internet-based vendors, giving state agencies flexibility to implement online systems while maintaining program integrity.
It streamlines food delivery regulations to reflect WIC’s full transition to electronic benefit transfer (EBT) and allows for new technologies like mobile payments.
State agencies can now use modern tools such as mobile apps and EMV chip cards, with security measures adapted to current and future retail innovations.
The rule updates reporting requirements to support a data-driven program and improve oversight as technology evolves.
All 88 WIC state agencies completed the shift from paper vouchers to EBT by August 2024.
The final rule responds to public comments on the proposed rule published February 23, 2023, and aims to give WIC participants the same shopping options as non-WIC consumers.
In fiscal year 2025, WIC served an average of 6.9 million people monthly, including about 40 percent of all infants in the United States.
Sources
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Online Ordering and Transactions and Food Delivery Revisions To Meet the Needs of a Modern, Data-Driven Program Federal Register, significant rules
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