15 December 2025
By Greg LaRose
Contributing Writer
(lailluminator.com) — A federal program that provides food aid to low-income pregnant women, infants and children sees lower participation rates in Louisiana, where the number of food retailers that accept the benefits has fallen by nearly half over the past dozen years.
A Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s review of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known better as WIC, attributes the drop in program vendors, in part, to state efforts to ensure grocery stores don’t overcharge for eligible items such as infant formula, baby cereal, milk, rice and fresh fruit.
Because WIC-approved items account for a small portion of purchases, many retailers choose not to accept the benefits, even though they’re paid for with electronic benefit cards similar to those used for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance program.
Grocery chain mergers and store closures have also cut into the number of locations that participate in the WIC program, the audit found. In 2012, there were 723 WIC vendors in Louisiana. As of September, the number had fallen to 406, and it could decrease by about 20 more stores once Winn-Dixie completes its exit from the market. Aldi, which purchased Winn-Dixie’s parent company in 2023, will open in some of the former locations, but Aldi does not participate in the WIC program.
Another factor contributing to lower WIC participation rates in Louisiana is an increase in mothers who breastfeed their infants. The audit notes the National WIC Association, a nonprofit advocacy group for the program, promotes breastfeeding as cost efficient because it can lower health risks for infants.
WIC also offers breastfeeding support and resources such as breast pumps and in-person consultations with lactation experts.
Formula still remains the favored form of feeding in Louisiana for WIC recipients, but the program’s rate of formula-fed infants has decreased from 84.5 percent in 2021 to 74.8 percent this year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the WIC program, reports the rate for fully or partially breastfeeding has increased 62.6 percent since 2021.
There were 104,064 WIC participants in Louisiana as of Sept. 1, with 25 percent pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum women and 75 percent children under age 5.
According to federal data, Louisiana had the lowest state participation rate for WIC participation in 2022, the most recent year for which analysis is available. Only 36.7 percent of eligible state residents took part in the program. Other public assistance available during the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide formula recall three years ago might have reduced participation, the audit said.
Louisiana was one of 45 states that did not draw down all of the WIC money the federal government allotted for the state in fiscal year 2024. Its unused WIC balance was $10.6 million, which was 8.8 percent of the amount provided. That’s on par with other states that didn’t tap into all of their USDA funding.
The Louisiana Department of Health, which administers the WIC program, has tracked improving participation since 2022, according to the audit. As of September, the rate increased 16.7 percent, but USDA coverage data isn’t available yet to reflect those gains.
Research into why participation rates are low in some states has pointed to issues with transportation, lack of promotion and language barriers for immigrant communities.
The audit also noted Louisiana has 100 WIC clinics, either parish-owned or contractor-operated, that recipients must visit approximately every three months to remain eligible for benefits. Forty-two of 64 parishes have only one WIC clinic, while Plaquemines and West Feliciana parishes have none.
This article originally published in the December 15, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.