WIC recipients may now order groceries online at Massachusett Walmarts

More than 125,000 Massachusetts residents receiving public nutrition benefits can now order groceries online through a pilot program, the Department of Public Health announced Tuesday.

Participants in the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition program have a new option to buy WIC-approved food online at 48 Walmart stores across Massachusetts, and they can choose between in-person pickup or delivery. The pilot, part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative, builds on federal guidelines that previously limited WIC recipients to buying groceries in person at approved stores, DPH said.

“The option to shop for groceries online makes nutritious food more accessible for WIC participants in the state,” state Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said in a statement. “It helps alleviate the challenges faced by many when in-person shopping is the only option – challenges like limited mobility, lack of transportation, language barriers, and time constraints.”

Massachusetts is “among a handful of states that received federal grant funding and waivers to implement the WIC online ordering project,” DPH said. 

WIC serves young children, new mothers, and women who are pregnant and breastfeeding. Program participants receive “free healthy food,” including baby food, infant formula and fruits and vegetables, according to a program brochure. There are more than 850 WIC-approved retailers throughout the state, DPH said.

State officials said WIC doesn’t cover delivery fees, and residents are advised to “be ready with a secondary form of payment,” according to a webpage on the pilot. Deliveries must be made to Massachusetts addresses.