Ver Ploeg et al. (2015) examined the types of stores households usually frequent for food shopping, how they get there, and how far they travel. The study showed that about 90 percent of all households shop at large stores such as supermarkets and supercenters, and this percentage does not vary much by participation in SNAP or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or by income or by mode of travel to the store.
CHEW, a smartphone app provides shopping tools, including barcode scanners and calculators to maximize the WIC benefit redemption rate. Testing found that the app was successful with WIC mothers with moderate levels of app usage.
WIC-participating retailers must adhere to very different minimum stocking requirements across states, which may result in disparities in food and beverage products available to WIC recipients.
Recent data shows that the retail price markup of the firm that wins the state WIC contract does not change when the contract is awarded, but that its shelf space increases in excess of the share of WIC customers.
Minority participants were significantly more likely to redeem higher-priced brands of infant F&Vs, but more likely to choose lower-priced brands of bread. Participants shopping in urban stores or mid sized stores (with 5-9 registers) were less likely to choose higher-priced brands compared to rural stores or large stores (with 9+ registers).
Results suggest that WIC changes improved the availability of healthy foods in small stores in New Orleans
Overall, availability and selection of commonly consumed fresh FV and availability of African-American culturally specific fresh FV improved after implementation of the new policy. Modest improvements in the overall availability of canned low-sodium vegetables and frozen FV were observed.
The 2009 introduction of the revised WIC food packages has significantly improved availability and variety of healthy foods in WIC-authorized and (to a smaller degree) non-WIC convenience and grocery stores. Improved availability and variety of whole-grain products were responsible for most of the increase in the composite score of healthy food supply.
Changes to WIC requirements proved to increase access to healthy foods with little drop out or complaints from WIC approved vendors.
The farmers market cost was greater. The farmers market users more often ate vegetables as snacks and > 1 vegetable per day.
