When a store is authorized as a WIC Vendor, among other responsibilities, the Vendor agrees:

• To meet minimum stocking requirements for WIC foods
• To hold employees accountable for processing WIC transactions correctly
• To adhere to WIC Program rules
• To offer Program clients the same courtesy as other customers.

To be considered for authorization as a WIC vendor, owners of retail food stores, combination food store/pharmacies, or pharmacies must meet the following criteria:

• The vendor applicant's location must be a permanent, fixed location.
• The vendor applicant must be open for business at least eight (8) hours per day between the hour of 6:00 am and 9:00 pm, and a minimum of six (6) days per week.
• The vendor applicant must possess a valid Food Establishment License from the Maine Department of Agriculture (or its equivalent from another state) or must be a Registered Pharmacy through the Maine Commission of Pharmacies (or its equivalent from another state).
• The food vendor applicant's store must include at least 1,000 square feet of space devoted to the sale of grocery items including WIC and non-WIC foods. This area does not include storage areas.
• The food vendor applicant must be currently enrolled as an authorized vendor in the Food Stamp Program and may not be currently disqualified/ suspended from the WIC Program or the Food Stamp Program.
• If the vendor applicant is a pharmacy or combination food vendor/pharmacy, the applicant must be able to provide, within 72 hours of a request from a participant or the State Agency, any WIC authorized infant formula.
• The vendor applicant's store must be operational at the time of the on-site review by the State Agency.
• The vendor applicant's store must be an established business, open to the public for at least one year in it's current location. This condition can be waived by the State Agency for a current vendor in good standing that is adding an additional location for a store authorized by corporate agreement or a store currently authorized to accept WIC that has been sold.
• The vendor applicant may not expect to derive more than 50% of his/her annual food sales revenue from WIC food instruments.
• The food vendor's prices must be competitive when compared to his/her peers currently authorized by the Maine WIC Program.
• The food vendor and combination food vendor/pharmacy must have and maintain at all times the minimum supply of authorized WIC foods as determined by the State Agency. Those foods may not be out of date. See minimum stocking requirements.
• The vendor applicant must provide the State Agency with its depository bank's name, account routing number, account number and another information necessary to initiate a credit deposit to the Vendor's bank account. This information will be kept confidential.
• No conflict of interest may exist between the vendor applicant and any State of local agency personnel.
• The State Agency will consider business integrity when determining eligibility.
• U. S. military commissaries are exempt from the selection criteria.