Tennessee Department of Health launches new app for WIC participants

JACKSON, TN (WNBJ) - The Tennessee Department of Health has released a new app for WIC participants to help establish and reinforce healthy eating habits.

The department launched the WICShopper app this week to help WIC users access their benefits easier. WIC stands for the women, infants, and children program.

Participants can use the app to scan barcodes of store items to determine whether they can be purchased using WIC. Other features of the app include healthy cooking recipes, shopping tips, locations of health department clinics, and much more.

“The app is a tool that will allow our WIC participants to get full advantage of their WIC benefits at their fingertips. They are going to have access to their WIC benefits, to know what their balance is, to know the expiration date of their benefits, and it just allows them to know when they are in the store what items are available on their balance,” said Melissa McPherson, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Consultant at the Jackso-Madison County Regional Health Department WIC Center.

The local health department believes the app will lend a huge hand to people who use WIC.

“We just think this is going to make life a lot easier for WIC participants, and we hope people take advantage of this new app. You know everyone is on their smartphones, everybody is glued to their phones. This is just another way we are trying to make our services easier for people to access and easier for people to use,” said Mallory Cooke, the Public Information Officer at the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department.

Launching this app goes along with the department’s mission of protecting, promoting, and improving the life of Tennesseans.