Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued the final rule allowing for online transactions and other modernization efforts in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The final rule, which takes effect on December 7, 2026, updates outdated regulations that were preventing the WIC program from fully participating in online ordering and internet-based transactions. WIC families, staff, and advocates have long called for these modernization efforts to take hold. The National WIC Association (NWA) applauds the push to modernize the WIC shopping experience and expand WIC families' access to nutritious foods.
Expanding WIC services to include online transactions is the right step to make the WIC shopping experience more equitable and convenient for millions of WIC families. In partnership with the Nutrition Policy Institute, a 2021 NWA survey found that 65% of surveyed WIC participants reported online ordering as a preferred shopping method if available. The move towards expanding online shopping in the WIC program has the potential to reduce barriers to healthy foods and advance equity, especially within rural and tribal communities.
We encourage NWA members and the WIC community to take advantage of the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (CNHI), the USDA-funded technical assistance grantee for online shopping, for additional resources. WICShop+ is an all-in-one resource site for WIC online shopping that provides resources, webinars, and other technical assistance to support WIC State Agencies, WIC-authorized vendors, and other partners in strengthening and expanding WIC online shopping. State Agencies are also encouraged to apply for CNHI’s funding opportunities that support WIC State Agencies in implementing WIC online shopping.
To learn more, you can contact CNHI’s WIC Online Shopping Team with questions or for support at [email protected].
The following statement is attributed to Georgia Machell, President and CEO of NWA:
“Today NWA celebrates the final rule issued by USDA supporting online transactions and other modernization efforts in WIC. This long-awaited update is an essential step to ensuring that WIC families are provided with the most convenient and equitable shopping methods that keep up with the advancements of the retail grocery industry.
This push can have a transformative impact on Black, Brown, and rural communities who often disproportionately face barriers to food access. We strongly support initiatives that prioritize modernization and increased access to healthy and nutritious food for millions of WIC families.
Numerous pilot programs throughout the country have successfully demonstrated the positive impact of online shopping on WIC families’ access to benefits.
NWA supports the publication of the final rule and welcomes the change that online transactions and other modernization efforts bring to the WIC community. These innovations are the key to ensuring that millions of WIC families have increased access to nutritious foods.”
Help build on this progress by urging lawmakers to continue advancing policies that modernize WIC and improve access for families. Take action today.