Food and Nutrition Service

Using Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 

Infants, and Children (WIC) Food Lists To Identify Grains for 

the Child and Adult Care Food Program

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 

Infants, and Children (WIC) provides lists of foods that 

can be purchased with WIC benefits. This list is called the 

WIC Authorized Foods List (WIC list) and includes specific 

brands and product names of foods. Each State has its own 

WIC list. In some States, it may be called the “Approved 

WIC Foods Shopping Guide” or a similar name.

You can use any State’s WIC list to choose grain items that 

can be counted toward a reimbursable meal or snack in the 

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Whole Grains, Breakfast Cereals, and Infant Cereals on WIC Lists

Whole Grains 

• All grain products, other than cereals, on WIC lists are treated as whole grains and can be 

used to meet the CACFP whole grain-rich requirement. This includes all bread, rice, pasta, 

oatmeal, barley, bulgur, and tortilla (corn and wheat) products.

• Not all ready-to-eat breakfast cereals on WIC lists are whole grain-rich. You will need to look 

for symbols or labels indicating which breakfast cereals are a whole grain.

Breakfast Cereals

• All cereals on WIC lists meet the CACFP sugar limit of no more than 6 grams of sugar 

per dry ounce.

• Not all cereals listed on WIC lists are whole grain-rich. If you intend to serve the cereal as 

a whole grain-rich food, make sure the WIC list indicates that the cereal is a whole grain.

• You can serve enriched or fortified cereals listed on WIC lists as a grain item that is not 

whole grain-rich in the CACFP.

Infant Cereals

• All infant cereals listed on WIC lists meet CACFP requirements for iron-fortified infant cereal. 

More training, menu planning, and nutrition education materials for the 

CACFP can be found at https://teamnutrition.usda.gov.

CEREAL CEREAL

Whole Wheat

CEREAL

Whole Wheat

CEREAL

Whole Wheat

WIC Approved

CEREAL CEREAL

Whole Wheat

CEREAL

Whole Wheat

CEREAL

Whole Wheat

WIC Approved
Non-Grain Foods on WIC Lists

• WIC lists cannot be used to determine if non-grain foods can be served in the CACFP. 

• Yogurt, juice, milk, eggs, tofu, fruits, and vegetables on WIC lists may not always be creditable towards the 

CACFP meal pattern requirements. See the Food Buying Guide for more information about these food items: 

https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov.

How To Use the WIC List 

You can find WIC lists by visiting the WIC website for the State WIC Program: https://www.fns.usda.gov/contacts. 

You can use the WIC list for any State, not just your State.

1 Find the section of the WIC 

list that applies to the infant 

cereal, breakfast cereal, or

whole-grain food.

2 Check the WIC list to see if 

any brands are specified 

for the grain you want to buy. 

If so, be sure to choose 

only the brands listed. 

3 Check the WIC list to see if 

there are specific product 

names or types listed under 

the brands. If so, be sure 

to choose only the product 

names or types listed. 

4 Disregard information about 

package size. You may 

purchase the same brand 

and product type in different 

amounts than what is listed 

on the WIC list. For example, 

you can buy a 48-ounce 

box of cereal instead of a 

36-ounce box.

Sample WIC List

WHOLE GRAINS

CAN BUY

Whole Wheat Tortilla products of the brands listed below in 8-24 oz packages:

WHOLE GRAIN CEREALS

CAN BUY

Brands in 12-oz or 36-oz boxes or bags of cereal listed below 

• BiBi’s Breads

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

• Cocina de Cardi 

All product types

• Frenchie’s

100% Whole Wheat Tortillas and Soft Tacos

• Gimme Tortillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas Fajita Style

• iWheat

Whole Wheat Tortillas Fajita Style

• Pita’s Bread

Pita’s Tortillas, 100% Whole Wheat

• Tastee Tortillas

100% Whole Wheat Tortillas

• Tulum Tortillas

Whole Wheat and 

Whole Grain varieties

• New Mornings

Oatmeal Squares

• New Mornings

Bran Flakes

• Blanche’s

Oatmeal Squares

• Dayton Hill

Puffed Wheat

• Robertsons

Bran Flakes

WIC

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Keep in Mind

If you cannot find a grain product on the WIC list, please see our other training 

resources about serving grains in the CACFP at: https://teamnutrition.usda.gov. 

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Try It Out!

Use the information on this worksheet to answer the following questions.

1 Sonia wants to find yogurts that are creditable in the CACFP. Should she use her 

State’s WIC list?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

2 Simon sees Brand T Soft Corn Tortillas on his State’s WIC list. He finds Brand Z Soft 

Corn Tortillas, which are not listed on his State’s WIC list. Can he serve Brand Z Soft 

Corn Tortillas as part of a reimbursable meal?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

3 Juan sees “Buy 16 ounces” next to Brand C Infant Cereal on his State’s WIC list. His store 

only offers Brand C Infant Cereal in 24-ounce boxes. Can he buy the 24-ounce box and 

serve the cereal as part of a reimbursable infant meal?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

4 Elena wants to serve a whole grain-rich breakfast cereal. Can she pick any cereal from 

her State’s WIC list?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

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Answers

1 No, Sonia should not use the WIC list to find yogurts that are creditable in the CACFP. WIC and 

CACFP have different sugar limits for yogurt. The WIC list cannot be used to find creditable yogurts 

for the CACFP.

2 The WIC list indicates a specific brand, Brand T, of tortilla. Simon cannot be sure that Brand Z 

Soft Corn Tortillas is creditable based on the WIC list that he has. Simon can serve Brand Z Soft 

Corn Tortillas as part of a reimbursable meal if he finds it listed on another State’s WIC list or 

uses another method to determine if the tortilla is creditable in the CACFP. 

3 Yes. When using the WIC list to choose creditable foods in the CACFP, you do not need to pay 

attention to the size of the package.

4 No. Not all breakfast cereals listed on WIC lists are whole grain. Elena should select a breakfast 

cereal that is specifically marked or listed as whole grain on the WIC list. Whole grain cereals 

listed on WIC lists are considered whole grain-rich in the CACFP.

FNS-860 March 2020

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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