NEWSLETTER FOR VENDORS
volume 15 issue 1
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic
January 2015
Dear WIC Authorized Vendors,
This edition of the WIC Matters newsletter contains your first
glimpse into some significant changes which will be occurring in
the Minnesota WIC allowed foods list in April and some initial
information on the training that all stores will be required to attend
later this year. We will provide further updates on the WIC allowed
food changes and the required group training sessions in the
March edition of this newsletter.
Please take the time to carefully review the information in this
newsletter. I would also encourage you to continue to monitor the
Important Vendor News section of our website for further updates
on the WIC allowed foods and our group training plans.
If you have any questions regarding the changes to the WIC
allowed foods or the group training process, please contact me at
[email protected] Thank you for your continued partnership.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Page 1: Current Shopping Guide Effective until April 6, 2015
2015 Group Training Reminder
Page 2: New WIC Food Items Available April 6, 2015
Page 3: UPC/WIC Allowed Food Product Updates
Minnesota WIC Phone App Coming Soon!
Stay Tuned for Information in Next Newsletter
Sincerely,
Rick Chiat
WIC Food Delivery Unit Supervisor
2014 WIC Shopping Guide Will Remain in Effect until April 6, 2015
The current 2014 WIC Shopping Guide will remain in effect until April 6, 2015. The new shopping
guide will be sent to stores in March. There are several new food items that will be allowed in WIC
beginning April 6th, including 16 ounce packages of whole wheat pasta and 32 ounce containers of yogurt.
For more information on the new WIC foods, please see pages two and three of this newsletter.
2015 Group Training Reminder
Group training sessions will be held in the spring and summer of 2015. It is mandatory that at least one
representative from each WIC authorized store attend one of these training sessions. Registration for the
sessions will be available in late March and will be posted on our website at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/index.html.
You will receive more information about group training sites and registration with the March edition of the
newsletter. If you have any suggestions about group training content or other training related items, please
contact Erin Kelsey at [email protected] or 651-201-4415.
PAGE 2
WIC. $ m was spent on WIC foods in Minnesota last year
WICMATTERS JANUARY 2015n
New WIC Food Items Available Beginning April 6, 2015
Effective April 6, 2015, 16 ounce whole wheat pasta and 32 ounce containers of yogurt will be allowed
when listed on WIC vouchers. Additional details regarding these changes are listed below and we will
provide further clarification in the March newsletter.
What types of 16 ounce whole wheat pasta will be WIC allowed?
Types that will be WIC allowed include macaroni, spaghetti, penne, rotini, linguine, elbows, and spirals.
What 16 ounce whole wheat pasta products are currently available?
Many whole wheat pasta products currently come in packages that are less than 16 ounces and cannot be
allowed on WIC. The following brands are packaged or will soon be packaged in a 16 ounce size:
Bella Terra
Full Circle
Bionature
Gia Russa
Essential Everyday
Hodgson Mill
Food Club
Nash Bros. Trading Company
If you are aware of a brand not listed above you think may be WIC allowed
[email protected]
Racconto
Simply Balanced
Shurfine
please contact Karilyn Schrankler at
Will all 32 ounce containers of yogurt be allowed?
No. Organic yogurt and yogurts with artificial sweeteners will not be allowed. The following brands have 32
ounce yogurt products that will be WIC Allowed:
Brown Cow
Great Value
Chobani
HyVee
Coburn Farms
Market Pantry
Dannon
Mountain High
Essential Everyday
Nostimo
Food Club
Oikos
If you are aware of a brand not listed above you think may be WIC allowed
[email protected]
Old Home
Our Family
Shurfine
Simply Balanced
Yoplait
please contact Karilyn Schrankler at
What are the UPCs of the new WIC allowed whole wheat pasta and yogurt?
UPCs for these items will available in February in the Important Vendor News section of our website at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/important.html The UPC information will also be emailed
to those on the UPC Update email list. To have your name added to this list, please send an email to
Karilyn Schrankler at [email protected]
What is the Minnesota WIC Maximum Price for these products?
We will have information on the maximum prices allowed for whole wheat pasta and yogurt in the March
newsletter. Maximum prices will be updated in May based on the results of the next Shelf Price Survey.
What are the minimum stock requirements for whole wheat pasta and yogurt?
According to the Minnesota State WIC rules and your WIC agreement, each store will be expected to stock
a sufficient quantity of each of these products to meet the needs of their WIC customers.
How will WIC vouchers list pasta and yogurt?
Images of vouchers listing pasta and yogurt will be in the March vendor newsletter and in the Important
Vendor News section on our website at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/important.html
If you have any questions about the addition of these new WIC food items, please contact Karilyn
Schrankler at (651) 201-5398 or by email at: [email protected]
WICMATTERS JANUARY 2015
PAGE 3
UPC/WIC-Allowed Food Product Updates
White Potatoes Will Be WIC Allowed Beginning April 6, 2015
Beginning April 6, 2015, white potatoes will be WIC allowed in Minnesota (due to a change in federal law).
Currently only sweet potatoes and yams are WIC allowed. The most important information about this
change is as follows:
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All fresh potatoes will be WIC allowed. This includes red, Yukon Gold, purple, and russet.
Only canned potatoes with no oils, sugars, spices, herbs or similar added ingredients will be WIC
allowed.
Almost all frozen potato products like french fries, tater tots and hash browns have fats or sugars
added and will not be WIC allowed. The few frozen potato products that are allowed will be added
to our frozen vegetable UPC list.
We will update our UPC listing of canned vegetables to include the canned potato products that
are WIC Allowed.
New Oatmeal Will Be WIC Allowed on April 6, 2015
The 16 ounce bag of Gluten Free Chex Oatmeal from General Mills will be WIC allowed
beginning April 6. This item will be pictured and listed in the new shopping guide. Only the
16 ounce bag of the plain gluten free Chex oatmeal will be WIC allowed. The UPC for this
item is: 0 16000 48641 6
Gerber 2 packs of 4 Ounce Tubs
In April 2015, Gerber will have a new product line of infant foods packaged in 2 packs of 4 ounce plastic
tubs. These will be WIC allowed. The next newsletter will provide more information on these products.
Minnesota WIC Phone App Coming Soon!
Minnesota WIC is developing a smart phone app that when used to scan a UPC code
will identify whether or not a food is WIC allowed. While many stores use shelf tags to
identify the WIC foods, the app will be another tool for participants to use to help
them identify WIC allowed foods. We expect the app to be available in May 2015 and
we will give you more details in the next newsletter regarding the rollout plan. We
hope stores will find the app to be helpful and useful as well!
Stay Tuned for Information in the March WIC Vendor Newsletter!
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Details on the group training to be held in the spring and summer of 2015
Links to UPCs for new WIC allowed whole wheat and yogurt products
Sample vouchers that list the new whole wheat pasta and yogurt options
Information about the March 2015 Price Survey
Details on the Minnesota WIC phone app being developed for identifying WIC foods
MINNESOTA WIC PROGRAM
85 East Seventh Place Suite 220
PO Box 64882
St. Paul MN 55164-0882
Minnesota WIC Program
Address
85 East Seventh Place
Suite 220
PO Box 64882
St Paul MN 55164-0882
Website
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic
Phone
651-201-4404
Toll free:1-800-657-3942
Fax
651-215-8951
PRSRT STD
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TWIN CITIES MN
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If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
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