122 Grocery Stores That Accept WIC (+ the Stores That Don’t)

Proper nutrition is vital, particularly for expectant moms, infants, and children. The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) exists to provide the assistance needed to stay healthy.

This federal program is available in every state, and most regional and national grocery stores participate in the program by accepting WIC benefits.

Below, we list the stores that accept WIC and explain more about the program.

What Is WIC?

WIC is a federal assistance program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The WIC program provides supplemental food for pregnant women, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five, as well as nutrition education, counseling, and service referrals for mothers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds the WIC program, dispensing funds at the state level and allowing each state to operate its own WIC program. All states participate in the WIC program.

Like most government assistance programs, eligibility for WIC benefits depends on your income. You can use the USDA’s WIC pre-screening tool to find out if you’re eligible.

Unlike Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which can be used to buy nearly any type of food, WIC benefits only allow for the purchase of certain foods in specific amounts each month.

Staple foods provided by the WIC program include infant formula (although WIC encourages mothers to breastfeed for as long as possible), juice, milk, cheese, eggs, breakfast cereal, bread and whole-grain items, peanut butter, dry or canned legumes, and select fruits and vegetables.

In addition, WIC provides some medically necessary foods such as tofu and soy milk for women and children with food allergies and certain medical conditions.

The list of WIC-approved foods can vary by state. You can find out which foods your state allows on WIC by visiting the USDA website.

WIC benefits are issued by either paper food checks or an EBT card. (The USDA plans to phase out paper checks and move the system entirely to EBT cards.) You can use your WIC benefits only at stores that have been approved by your state WIC agency.

Note: In order to become WIC-approved, stores must apply and be approved at the state level. This means that while a popular chain store, such as Safeway, may be approved to accept WIC in one state, it may not be approved in another.

The List

The majority of major grocery stores and chain stores in the United States accept WIC as a form of payment.

Here’s the list of the most popular grocery stores that accept WIC, along with the states you can find these stores in.

Acme Markets

• Locations: CT, NJ, DE, MD, NY, PA
• Find a store

Albertsons

• Locations: AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, LA, MT, NV, NM, ND, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY
• Find a store

Bashas’

• Locations: AZ, NM
• Find a store

Big M Supermarkets

• Locations: NY, PA
• Find a store

Big Y Foods

• Locations: CT, MA
• Find a store

Brookshires

• Locations: AR, LA, TX
• Find a store

Carrs-Safeway

• Locations: AK
• Find a store

Coborn’s

• Locations: MN, ND, SD
• Find a store

Compare Foods Supermarket

• Locations: CT, MA, NY, NC, RI
• Find a store

CVS

• Locations: Nationwide; see our research on the CVS WIC policy.
• Find a store

Food Depot

• Locations: GA, NC
• Find a store

Food Lion

• Locations: DE, GA, KY, MD, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV
• Find a store

Foodland/Foodland Farms/Sack ’N Save

• Locations: HI
• Find a store

Foodland Supermarkets

• Locations: KY, OH, PA, VA, WV
• Find a store

Market Basket

• Locations: ME, MA, NH
• Find a store

Fareway

• Locations: IA, MN, NE, ND, SD
• Find a store

Festival Foods

• Locations: MN, WI
• Find a store

Food Bazaar Supermarkets

• Locations: CT, NJ, NY
• Find a store

Foodtown

• Locations: NJ, NY, PA
• Find a store

Fred Meyer

• Locations: AL, ID, OR, WA
• Find a store

Giant Eagle

• Locations: MD, OH, PA, WV
• Find a store

Giant Food Stores (including Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover)

• Locations: DE, MD, PA, VA, WV
• Find a store

Great Valu Markets

• Locations: DE, MD, NC, NJ, PA, VA, WV
• Find a store

Haggen Food & Pharmacy

• Locations: OR, WA
• Find a store

Harps Foods

• Locations: AK, KS, MO, OK
• Find a store

Harvest Foods

• Locations: ID, MT, OR, WA
• Find a store

Homeland

• Locations: OK, TX
• Find a store

Houchens Markets (including Buehler’s Buy-Low, Food Giant, and Hank’s Market)

• Locations: IL, IN, KY, OH, TN
• Find a store

Hugo’s

• Locations: MN, ND
• Find a store

Hy-Vee

• Locations: IL, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, SD, WI
• Find a store

Kroger

Note: Kroger brands include Baker’s Supermarkets, City Market, Dillons Supermarkets, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fry’s Food & Drug, Gerbes Super Markets, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, Owen’s Pay Less Super Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Roundy’s, Ruler Foods, Scott’s, and Smith’s.

• Locations: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
• Find a store

Ingles Markets, Sav-Mor Foods

• Locations: AL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA
• Find a store

Jewel-Osco

• Locations: IL, IN, IA
• Find a store

K-VA-T Food Stores (including Food City and Super Dollar Discount Foods)

• Locations: GA, KY, TN, VA
• Find a store

Key Food

• Locations: CT, NJ, NY
• Find a store

Lidl

• Locations: DE, GA, NJ, NC, SC, VA
• Find a store

Lowes Foods

• Locations: NC, SC, VA
• Find a store

Lowe’s Markets

• Locations: NM, TX
• Find a store

Mac’s Fresh Market

• Locations: AR, LA, MS
• Find a store

Magruder’s

• Locations: District of Columbia
• Find a store

Market Basket

• Locations: LA, TX
• Find a store

Martin’s Foods

• Locations: MD, PA, VA, WV
• Find a store

Martin’s Super Markets

• Locations: IN, MI
• Find a store

Meijer

• Locations: IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WI; see our research on Meijer’s WIC policy.
• Find a store

Met Foodmarkets

• Locations: MA, NJ, NY
• Find a store

Natural Grocers

• Locations: AZ, CO, ID, KS, MT, MO, NE, NM, OK, OR, TX, UT, WY
• Find a store

Piggly Wiggly

• Locations: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, VA, WV
• Find a store

Price Chopper

• Locations: CT, MA, NH, NY, PA, VT
• Find a store

PriceRite Marketplace

• Locations: CT, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA
• Find a store

Publix

• Locations: AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA; see our research on Publix’s WIC policy.
• Find a store

Quality Foods

• Locations: GA, SC
• Find a store

Raley’s

• Locations: CA, NV
• Find a store

Ramey’s Marketplace

• Locations: AL, LA, MS
• Find a store

Ray’s Food Place

• Locations: CA, OR
• Find a store

Red Apple Markets

• Locations: OR, WA
• Find a store

Redner’s Markets

• Locations: DE, MD, PA
• Find a store

Ridley’s Family Markets

• Locations: CO, ID, NV, UT, WY
• Find a store

Rite Aid

• Locations: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV
• Find a store

Rosauers Supermarkets

• Locations: ID, MT, OR, WA
• Find a store

Rouses Supermarket

• Locations: AL, LA, MS
• Find a store

Safeway

• Locations: AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, LA, MT, NV, NM, ND, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY
• Find a store

Save Mart Supermarkets (including Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, and FoodMaxx)

• Locations: CA, NV
• Find a store

Schnucks

• Locations: IL, IN, IA, MO, WI
• Find a store

Shaw’s Supermarket

• Locations: ME, MA, NH, RI, VT
• Find a store

Sheetz

• Locations: OH, NC, PA, MD, VA, WV
• Find a store

ShopRite

• Locations: CT, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA
• Find a store

Southeastern Grocers (including BI-LO, Harveys, Winn-Dixie, and Fresco y Más)

• Locations: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC
• Find a store

SpartanNash (including Family Fare Supermarkets, VG’s Food and Pharmacy, D&W Fresh Market, SunMart, and Family Fresh Market)

• Locations: IA, NE, MI, MN, ND, OH, SD, WI
• Find a store

Stop & Shop

• Locations: CT, NJ, MA, NY, RI
• Find a store

Sun Fresh Market

• Locations: KS, MO
• Find a store

Super 1 Foods

• Locations: AR, LA, TX
• Find a store

SUPERVALU (including Save-A-Lot, Cub, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, and Shoppers)

• Locations: Nationwide
• Find a store

See our related research on where Save-A-Lot food comes from.

Target

• Locations: Nationwide, except Vermont; available at SuperTarget and select Target stores
• Find a store

The Fresh Grocer

• Locations: DE, PA
• Find a store

Thriftway

• Locations: DE, KS, MO, NJ, PA
• Find a store

Tops Friendly Markets

• Locations: NY, PA, VT
• Find a store

United Grocery Outlet

• Locations: AL, GA, KY, NC, TN
• Find a store

Vons

• Locations: CA, NV; see our research on the Vons WIC policy.
• Find a store

Walgreens

• Locations: Nationwide at select store locations
• Find a store

Walmart

• Locations: Nationwide; find out more in our research on Walmart’s WIC policy.
• Find a store

Wegmans

• Locations: MD, MS, NJ, NY, PA, VA; find out more in our research on Wegmans’ WIC policy.
• Find a store

Weis Markets

• Locations: PA, MD, NJ, NY, WV
• Find a store

Wesselman’s Supermarkets

• Locations: IN, KY
• Find a store

Whole Foods

• Locations: Nationwide except for AK, DE, MT, ND, SD, VT, WV, WY; find out more in our research on Whole Foods’ WIC policy.
• Find a store

WinCo Foods

• Locations: AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA
• Find a store

Woodman’s Market

• Locations: IL, WI
• Find a store

For information on WIC-only grocery stores, see our related article.

Grocery Stores That Don’t Accept WIC

While most retail grocery stores in the United States accept WIC, a few regional and national chains don’t accept it.

These include:

• ALDI
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Costco
• Sam’s Club
• Trader Joe’s