NEWSLETTER FOR VENDORS
volume 15 issue 2
Dear WIC Authorized Vendors,
This edition of the WIC Matters newsletter contains more specific
details on the major changes which will be occurring in the Minnesota
WIC allowed food list effective April 6th and the group training sessions
that all stores will be required to attend later this year. We appreciate
your close review of the items in this newsletter.
Thank you for your partnership with the Minnesota WIC Program and
for providing your WIC customers with the healthy WIC foods.
Sincerely,
Rick Chiat
WIC Food Delivery Unit Supervisor
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic
MARCH 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Page 1: 2015-2016 Shopping Guide Will Be Sent in March
2015 Group Training Information
Page 2: New WIC Food Items Beginning April 6, 2015
Page 3: Examples of Vouchers Listing the New Foods
Maximum Price for Whole Wheat Pasta and Yogurt
Minimum Stock for Whole Wheat Pasta and Yogurt
Next Shelf Price Survey Due April 24
E-WIC Update
WIC Phone App in Pilot Phase
2015-2016 WIC Shopping Guide Will Be Sent in March
The 2015-2016 Minnesota WIC Shopping Guide will be sent to stores by the end of March and will take
effect April 6, 2015. Updated cashier guides and shelf labels will also be sent to stores. See page 2 of
this newsletter for information on the food changes in the new shopping guide. The shopping guide can
be viewed online at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/shopguidenew.pdf
2015 Group Training Information
Minnesota WIC Vendor Group Training sessions will take place this spring and summer. It is
mandatory for a representative from each WIC authorized grocery store to attend one of
these training sessions.
Greater Minnesota Stores:
• Training sessions will occur between May 5th and June 10th
• Registration begins April 1st and ends April 19th
• In late March, you will receive a notice in the mail about locations, dates and registration information
Metro Area Stores (located in these counties: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington):
• Training sessions will occur between July 7th and August 14th
• Registration begins June 1st and ends June 21st
• In May, you will receive a notice in the mail about locations, dates and registration information
Large Chain Stores:
Currently, Byerly’s, Cub, Coborn’s, Target and Walmart stores will each have a separate training session for
all of their store locations. These stores will not receive a training notice from the Minnesota WIC program in
March or May, but rather will receive further information and instructions from their corporate office.
All registration will be done online (except for Byerly’s, Cub, Coborn’s, Target and Walmart stores). When
registering, please have the following information available:
• Name and title of store representative
• Address of store
• WIC Vendor stamp number
• Email address
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Erin Kelsey at [email protected] or 651-201-4415.
PAGE 2
WICMATTERS MARCH 2015
New WIC Food Items Available Beginning April 6, 2015
New foods in the 2015-2016 WIC Shopping Guide are found below and take effect April 6, 2015. UPC listings of
all WIC allowed products are online at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/index.html
16 ounce Packages of Whole Wheat Pasta
• A listing of WIC allowed whole wheat pasta products is available online at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/download/wwpastapdf.cfm
32 ounce Containers of Yogurt
• A listing of WIC allowed yogurt products is available online at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/download/yogurtpdf.cfm
New WIC Allowed Cereals
• General Mills Berry Berry Kix
12 oz box UPC: 0 1600041077 0
• Malt O Meal Blueberry Mini Spooners
18 oz bag UPC: 0 4240014299 7
18 oz box UPC: 0 4240014632 2
36 oz bag UPC: 0 4240017265 9
36 oz box UPC: 0 4240018154 5
• Post Honey Bunches of Oats Whole Grain – Honey Crunch
18 oz UPC: 8 8491200563 2
Gluten Free Chex Oatmeal from General Mills
Only the 16 ounce bag of the plain Gluten Free Chex Oatmeal will be WIC allowed.
This product counts as a whole grain option, not a cereal item. The UPC for this
product is: 0 1600048641 6
New WIC Allowed Infant Cereal Brands
• Baby Basics
• Parent’s Choice
• Tippy Toes
A complete UPC listing of WIC allowed infant foods is available at:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/download/infantpdf.cfm
Gerber 2-packs of 4 ounce Tubs
Sometime this spring, Gerber will have a new product line of infant fruits and vegetables
packaged in a 2-pack of 4 ounce plastic tubs. This 2-pack of 4 ounce plastic tubs will be
WIC allowed. Currently, Gerber has a 2-pack of 3.5 ounce plastic tubs of infant fruits and
vegetables, and these are not WIC allowed. There may be a transition time when both of
these products are available. We appreciate your assistance in helping your WIC
customers purchase the correct 4 ounce plastic tub products. For a listing of all WIC
allowed infant foods, including the new line of WIC allowed Gerber 2-packs, please see:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/download/infantpdf.cfm
White Potatoes
All fresh potatoes will be WIC allowed beginning April 6. Continue to watch for UPC updates as we gather
information on WIC eligible canned and frozen potato products. UPC updates are on our website
at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/fpchng/upc/updates/index.html
Questions about the new foods? Contact Karilyn Schrankler at: [email protected]
PAGE 3
WICMATTERS MARCH 2015
Examples of Vouchers Listing the New Foods
Whole Wheat Pasta
16 ounce whole wheat pasta will be listed as an option with WIC-allowed bread and tortillas, as seen below:
Yogurt
32 ounce yogurt will appear on a voucher as follows:
Maximum Prices for Whole Wheat Pasta and Yogurt
E-WIC Update
Maximum prices for the new WIC foods are listed below.
Due to a wide variation in price between regular yogurt and
Greek yogurt, each has a maximum price.
• 16 ounce whole wheat pasta: $3.50
• 32 ounce container of regular yogurt: $4.00
• 32 ounce container of Greek yogurt: $6.00
The Minnesota WIC Program will soon begin
working with a planning contractor to help plan for
the implementation of a WIC EBT system, called
“E-WIC”, in Minnesota. In the next few months, the
planning contractor will survey stores regarding
their electronic cash register system and computer
network capabilities. The planning contractor will
also conduct a webinar for stores to provide some
background information on the E-WIC system. We
will provide further information about the survey
and webinar when the dates are finalized.
Maximum prices will be updated in May based on the results of
the next Shelf Price Survey.
Minimum Stock 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. At a minimum, all stores should have at least
two 16 ounce packages of WIC allowed whole wheat pasta and
2 containers of 32 ounce WIC allowed yogurt (regular or Greek)
available for WIC customers to purchase at all times.
Next Shelf Price Survey Due on April 24, 2015
Earlier this month, each retail food store received a Shelf Price
Survey (either directly or through your store’s corporate office).
This survey included yogurt and whole wheat pasta, the new
WIC foods. Please complete and return the survey by April 24,
2015. The WIC Maximum Price List is updated based on the
information gathered from these surveys, and will be posted in
the “Important Vendor News” section of the web site in May.
The current Maximum Price List can be found on the
Requirements and Responsibilities page of our website
at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/vendor/rqrmnts/ne
wprcng.pdf
Minnesota WIC Phone App in Pilot Phase
Minnesota WIC has developed a smart phone app
that when used to scan a UPC code will identify
whether or not a food is WIC allowed. The app will
soon be tested in pilot phase. Once the pilot is
complete we will provide more details on the
statewide implementation. The phone app will be
reviewed further at the group training sessions this
spring and summer.
After a product is scanned, the app
identifies whether or not the food is
WIC allowed as indicated above.
MN WIC Phone App Screen
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
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO 171
TWIN CITIES MN
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees,
and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender
identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental
status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance
program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or
funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment
activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or
at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing
all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail
at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected].
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or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or
(800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).
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