Information for Grocers

If a customer experiences an issue with their WIC transaction that you are not able to solve, please fill out as much information as possible on the Grocer Incident Report Form and submit to the Vermont WIC Program at [email protected]. 

If a Grocer Application is rejected for any reason except incompleteness and a grocer wishes to appeal the decision, the grocer must request a fair hearing by writing within 30 days of receiving the non-selection letter to the following address

WIC Grocer Manager
Vermont Department of Health
Vermont WIC Program
280 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671-8360

Thank you for choosing to submit your product to the Vermont WIC Program for consideration. We select foods for inclusion in the Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide based on federal regulations, statewide availability, packaging and cost. Not all food submissions will be approved.

Vermont provides food benefits through an Electronic Benefits Transfer system. All eligible products require a UPC or PLU code. All allowed fresh fruits and vegetables with an individual UPC code needs to be mapped to the closest PLU code or to 4469.

If you wish to be on Vermont WIC’s email distribution list please call or email us:

Vermont WIC Program
Phone: 802-863-7333
800-649-4357 (in Vermont)
[email protected]  Attn: Jenna

Product Submission Instructions

Foods currently on Vermont WIC's approved food list do not need to be resubmitted.

Submission Timeline

• For Brand Specific food categories, please submit your product for consideration between February 1 and March 31 for inclusion beginning October 1.   
• For Non-Brand Specific foods that meet Vermont WIC standards, please submit at any time for immediate inclusion in our UPC database.

Categories

Categories in the Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide are either Brand Specific or Non-Brand Specific:

• Brand Specific Foods – These products are identified by brand in the Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide. Current Brand Specific Food categories include cheese, tofu, soymilk and plant-based beverages, yogurt, peanut butter, nut and seed butters, whole grain bread products, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat and corn tortillas, breakfast cereal (cold and hot), juice, and infant foods.
• Non-brand Specific Foods – These products are not specified by brand in the Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide but are considered ‘Any Brand Allowed.’ Current non-brand specific food categories include: milk, eggs, beans, canned fish (chunk light tuna, sardines and salmon), oatmeal, corn meal, quinoa, and brown and wild rice. Manufacturers may submit products that meet eligibility requirements as they become available. Please email Jenna Cloutier, and include the information that is requested in the Vermont Product Submission spreadsheet.

Submission Requirements

Prior to submission, please verify that your products meet requirements set forth by USDA:

• USDA Final Rule: Revisions in the Food Packages (2024) (federal food regulations)
• Information for Food Manufacturers regarding the WIC Food Packages
• WIC Food Packages - Regulatory Requirements for WIC-Eligible Foods

Prior to submission, please verify that your product(s) meet Vermont eligibility requirements:

• Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide
• Complete the applicable tab(s) in the Vermont WIC Food Product Submissions spreadsheet.
• Provide electronic product labels for all products submitted.
• Send completed product submission form and labels to Jenna Cloutier by March 31.

Note:

It is the responsibility of the submitter to notify the Vermont WIC Program of all changes and the effective date of each change to a product included in the Vermont WIC Foods and in our UPC database, including, but not limited to, UPC, package design, container size, ingredients, and/or discontinuance of a product or eligible size.

If you have any questions or for more information, contact [email protected]. 

If you find a food item that, according to the Vermont WIC Foods and Shopping Guide, should be allowed, but the UPC does not debit from a WIC account, send us an update request. We may have missed a UPC so the product is not scanning properly.

Here’s what you can do:

Send an email to [email protected] and include the following information:

• Product name
• Package size
• Price
• UPC number from the bar code - give all 12 numbers, including the little ones at the beginning and end.