Get ready to shop with WIC
Use your shopping guide, shopping list and WIC card to shop for your WIC foods.
Scroll down for WIC shopping common questions and videos.
Get ready to shop with WIC
Look through your Texas WIC Shopping Guide to learn which brands and sizes of food you can buy with your Texas WIC Card.
- Approved WIC Foods Shopping Guide (English - PDF, 4.5 MB)
- Approved WIC Foods Shopping Guide (Spanish - PDF, 4.4 MB)
- Approved WIC Foods Shopping Guide (Vietnamese - PDF, 6.7 MB)
- Approved WIC Foods Shopping Guide (Pashto - PDF, 6.7 MB)
Infant Formula Guide (English/Spanish - PDF, 376 KB)
Your Texas WIC Shopping List shows how much of each food you can buy each month. All eligible family members’ WIC foods are added together and printed on your shopping list.
If you forgot or lost your shopping list or receipt, a store cashier can print a receipt with your current balance.
Use the myWIC app to check your benefits, view the Texas WIC shopping guide, scan items at the store to see if they are WIC approved and more!
Paying with your Texas WIC Card
Your Texas WIC Card works like a debit card and keeps track of your food benefits for each month. Take your WIC card to each WIC appointment so staff can reload your benefits. You can use your WIC card at over 2,000 authorized grocery stores throughout Texas. Find a store where you can pay with your WIC card here: Store Finder
Use all your benefits before the end of the month. Food benefits left on your WIC card don’t roll over to the next month.
If your card is lost or stolen, call 800-942-3678 to protect your benefits and cancel your card. It can take up to three days to replace your card at the WIC office.
What happens at checkout?
- At checkout, tell the cashier you are using a WIC card.
- Insert the card into the reader and enter your PIN.
- Leave the card in the reader until told to remove it.
- The cashier will provide you with two receipts.
- One receipt shows your starting balance, and the other shows which items will be removed from your card.
- Check the items on the receipts and press approve to complete your transaction.
- Save your receipts!
There are three ways to shop for WIC foods.
1. Look for the Pink WIC Sticker
For some WIC foods, you will need to look for the pink “WIC Approved Item” sticker on the grocery store shelves. Stores use these stickers for these four WIC foods to show you which brands to buy when shopping at that store.
- Milk
- Cheese
- Juice
- Whole wheat bread
For example, if you are shopping for milk you will need to first check your shopping list to see what type of milk you can get. Then, look for the pink sticker.
2. Choose These Brands
Some WIC foods are brand specific. Your WIC Shopping Guide lists the approved brands and package sizes you can choose from for these foods:
- Breakfast cereal
- Baby cereal
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Soy milk
- Tofu
3. Choose Any Brand
For some WIC foods, you can buy “any brand.” Check your WIC Shopping Guide to see which package sizes and varieties you can choose from when you shop for:
- Peanut butter
- Eggs
- Beans
- Brown rice
- Canned fish
- Fruits and vegetables
- Baby food fruits and vegetables
- Lactose-free, dry and evaporated milk
- Whole wheat tortillas
- Corn tortillas
- Whole wheat pasta
WIC Shopping Common Questions
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Do I have to buy a certain amount of food each time I go to the store?
No. You choose how much of your WIC food benefits you want to spend each shopping trip. For example, you can buy one box of cereal this week and another box of cereal next week, or you can buy two boxes at once. It’s up to you.
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What if I need someone else to go to the store for me?
Give that person your Texas WIC card and PIN. Be sure the person is someone you trust with your card.
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What if an item doesn’t scan as a WIC item at checkout?
- Check your shopping list or benefit balance to make sure you have available benefits on your card.
- Check the shopping guide to make sure the item is the correct size and brand.
- If the size and brand are correct and you have enough benefits, ask the cashier or store manager for help.
- If it still won’t scan as a WIC item, you can pay for it with your other groceries or put it back.
Do you still think the item should have scanned as a WIC item?
- Please let us know. Submit a request if a WIC item isn’t scanning. WIC will review the item and let you know why it didn’t scan or add it to our database for the future.
- You can also take a photo of the item and the barcode and send it to WIC[email protected]. Include the store name and location so WIC can look into the issue.
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What if I have other problems at the store?
If you have any other problems finding a WIC food, using your WIC card, or anything else related to WIC shopping, call us at 800-942-3678 or email us at WICS[email protected].
Texas WIC Shopping Videos
Getting Started
This video describes what you need to bring to the store to do your WIC shopping, how to use your Texas WIC shopping list and introduces the myWIC app.
Milk and Yogurt
Learn how to find the milk and yogurt that matches your Texas WIC benefits.
Other Milks
Learn how to find lactose-free, soy, dry powdered, evaporated or Kosher milk that match your Texas WIC benefits.
Cheese and Eggs
Learn how to choose the cheese and eggs that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Bread, Tortillas, Rice, Oatmeal and Pasta
Learn how to choose the bread, tortillas, rice, oatmeal and pasta that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Breakfast Cereal
Learn how to choose the breakfast cereal that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Fruits and Vegetables
Learn how to choose which fresh, frozen and canned items that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Juice
Learn how to choose a juice that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits. Pay attention to bottle size!
Beans and Peanut Butter
Learn how to choose the beans and peanut butter that you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Baby Food
Learn how to choose which baby foods you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Canned Fish
If you are a fully breastfeeding mom, you can get canned tuna or salmon from WIC! Learn about which canned fish you can buy with your Texas WIC benefits.
Checking Out
Learn about using your Texas WIC Card at checkout.
Troubleshooting
Learn what to do if your store is sold out of their WIC item, an item doesn’t scan as WIC approved or your WIC card is lost or stolen.
Recipes
Learn about using your WIC foods, food safety, family meals and recipes.
Have any questions?
