Indiana WIC Concept Proposal · April 2026

Nourish WIC

A mobile app and clinical dashboard that connects Indiana WIC families with personalized meal planning — and gives WIC dietitians their first real digital channel to clients between clinic visits. Built to close the benefit utilization gap before it becomes program dropout.

📱 Client App 👩‍⚕️ Dietitian Dashboard 📊 Outcome Reports 🏛️ Indiana ISDH Partnership 🌽 167K Hoosier Families
167K
Indiana WIC
participants/month
18.5%
of WIC benefits go
unredeemed
3.7★
Indiana INWIC app
rating — broken

The Client Experience

Indiana WIC families receive a monthly food package worth $150–$300, but nearly 1 in 5 benefit dollars goes unredeemed. The reasons are consistent: unfamiliar foods, kids refusing new textures, and no guidance between monthly clinic visits.

Nourish WIC syncs with each client's exact benefit package and builds personalized meal plans, expiry alerts, step-by-step recipes, and 60-second cooking videos — organized around what they actually have this month, not generic nutrition advice.

⚠️
Expiry Alerts
Food-specific reminders with recipe links — not just "benefits expire soon"
🍽️
Personalized Meal Plans
Built from the client's exact package, filtered by kid ages and preferences
🛒
Smart Shopping List
Pre-built from the meal plan, organized by store aisle, with checkout tips
😬
"Kid Refused It" Flow
Food-specific fixes and a direct channel to the WIC dietitian
🎬
Nourish Food School
60-second videos for unfamiliar WIC foods — lentils, fish, whole grains
💳
Benefit Tracker
Visual breakdown of used vs. remaining, with tips to use unused foods
Good morning ☀️ · April 27
Hi Jasmine 👋
$26
Produce left
11
Days left
72%
Used
⚠️
Canned tuna & lentils haven't been used. They expire in 12 days — tap for recipe ideas.
Expiring soon — tap for recipes
Whole Milk
⚡ 3 days
2 gallons
Eggs
⚡ 4 days
1 dozen
Canned Tuna
12 days · unused
→ see recipe
Dry Lentils
12 days left
→ see recipe
Tonight's dinner — tap to cook
🥘
Lentil & Veggie Soup
Uses lentils + CVB veggies
All WIC25 minToddler ✓
🍝
Tuna Pasta Bake
Uses canned tuna + cheese
All WIC25 minKids love
Nourish Food School — tap to watch
🐟
Tuna pasta
🫘
Lentils 101
🥛
Use up milk
🌾
Whole grains
📅
Next Appointment
Thursday, May 12 · 10:00 AM

🛒 Shopping List

Built from your package · Kroger on 56th St

4 of 10 items checked
🥛 Dairy
Whole Milk
1 gallon · any brand
WIC ✓
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
16 oz · block or shredded
WIC ✓
Eggs
1 dozen · any brand
WIC ✓
🥦 Fruits & Veggies ($26 CVB)
Broccoli — fresh or frozen
Use eWIC CVB card
WIC ✓
Bananas
Any amount · CVB card
WIC ✓
Frozen Mixed Veggies
For lentil soup recipe
WIC ✓
🐟 Protein
Canned Tuna in Water
5 oz cans · WIC shelf tag
WIC ✓
Dry Lentils
1 lb bag · any brand
WIC ✓
🌾 Whole Grains
Whole Wheat Bread
1 loaf · must say "100% whole wheat"
WIC ✓
💳 Pay with your own card
Olive Oil
Not a WIC item
💡 How to check out with WIC — tap
Expires May 8

💳 My Benefits

72%
Overall used
$14
CVB left
11
Days left
Tap any food for tips and recipes
🥛
Whole Milk
1 of 2 gallons · 3 days left ⚠️
50%
🧀
Cheese
All 16 oz used ✓
100%
🥦
Fruits & Veggies CVB
$12 of $26 used
46%
🐟
Canned Fish
0 of 2 cans ⚠️ expires 12 days
0%
🫘
Dry Lentils
0 of 1 lb ⚠️ expires 12 days
0%
🌾
Whole Grains
1 of 2 loaves used
50%

😬 My kid won't eat it

Pick the food and what you'd like to do

Which food did they refuse?
What do you want to do?
👩‍🍳
Show me recipes that hide it
Kid-friendlier preparations
💬
Message my WIC dietitian
They can suggest a substitution
🔄
Request a package swap
Flag this for my next appointment
Ideas for whole grain bread:
🍞 French toast — hides the whole grain completely
✂️ Cut into fun shapes — stars, hearts, dinosaurs
🧇 Quesadilla with melted cheese — always wins

📖 WIC Recipes

Your foods this month — tap to start cooking

🥘
Easy Lentil Soup
Uses your unused lentils · 25 min
All WIC25 minToddler ✓
🍝
Tuna Pasta Bake
Uses canned tuna before it expires
All WIC25 minKids love
🥞
Whole Milk Pancakes
Uses milk fast · 15 min
All WIC15 minFave
🌮
Lentil Tacos
Kids think it's ground beef!
All WIC20 minSneaky ✓
🥚
Veggie Egg Scramble
Watch the 60-sec video · 10 min
All WIC10 min
🥘
Easy Lentil Soup
25 min · serves 4 · all WIC
🫘 1 cup lentils🥕 2 cups veggies🧅 onion💧 4 cups water
Tap each step when done
1
Rinse lentils under cold water for 30 seconds.
2
Chop onion and any veggies — fresh, frozen, or canned all work.
3
Cook onion in a pot with a little oil over medium heat, 3 minutes.
4
Add lentils, veggies, 4 cups water, and a pinch of salt.
5
Boil then simmer 20 minutes until lentils are soft.
6
Season and serve with whole grain bread! 🎉
Nourish Food School — watch before you cook
🫘
Lentils 101
🌮
Lentil tacos
🧒
Toddler tip
💡 Toddler tips and freezing leftovers — tap to read
🍝
Tuna Pasta Bake
25 min · serves 4 · uses tuna & cheese
🐟 2 cans tuna🍝 2 cups pasta🧀 1 cup cheese🥛 1 cup milk
Tap each step when done
1
Cook pasta per package. Drain and set aside.
2
Warm 1 cup whole milk in the same pot. Don't boil.
3
Add ¾ cup shredded cheddar. Stir until melted and creamy.
4
Drain both cans of tuna and add. Stir to combine.
5
Add pasta back in. Top with remaining cheese.
6
Eat now or bake at 375°F for 10 min for a crispy top! 🎉
Nourish Food School — watch before you cook
🐟
Tuna pasta
🧀
Tuna mac
🌮
Tuna tacos
💡 Tips for picky kids — tap to read
Nourish Food School
🐟
Tuna Pasta in 15 Min
0:001:00
More videos
🫘
Lentils 101
🥛
Use up milk
🌾
Whole grains
🥚
Egg scramble
Dietitian Dashboard — Marion County WIC
42 clients · April 2026 · Nourish WIC closes the gap between appointments
⚠️ 6 clients need attention today
72%
Avg. benefit use
Tap for food breakdown →
-3% vs last month
6
Below 50% use
Dropout risk — tap to see →
+2 vs last month
18
Recipes pushed
Tap for impact data →
+6 vs last month
3
Package requests
1 overdue — tap to review →
1 overdue

At-Risk Client List

Sorted by redemption rate · click to intervene

👩🏽
Jasmine T. HIGH
53% · fish & lentils 0% · 12 days left
👩🏻
Maria G. HIGH
34% overall · lactose request overdue
👩🏾
Aisha M. MED 🤱 BF plan
48% · pregnant 32wks · produce CVB 0%
👩🏽
Tanisha R. MED
38% · missed appt · phone outreach needed
📬 Package Change Queue
Maria G. — Lactose / alt milk OVERDUE
Jasmine T. — Whole grain refusal PENDING
👩🏽
Jasmine T.
2 children (ages 1 & 3) · Next appt: May 12
Why this client is at risk: Jasmine hasn't redeemed canned fish or lentils — both new 2024 package foods — with 12 days left. Families who miss these categories specifically have higher dropout rates. A bread refusal was flagged from her app on Apr 22.
Benefit use this month — tap any food to see barrier + intervene
🐟
Fish
0%
Unfamiliar
🫘
Lentils
0%
Texture
🌾
Grains
60%
Refusal ⚠
🥛
Dairy
95%
On track
🥚
Eggs
90%
On track
🥦
Produce
72%
Watch
📱 Flagged from client's app
😬 Kid Refused — whole grain bread · Apr 22 Review
⚠️ Expiry alert opened — tuna · not redeemed yet Act now
📤 Push a recipe to Jasmine — appears in her app instantly · avg 8 seconds
🍝
Tuna Pasta Bake
Uses canned fish · kids think it's mac & cheese
Send →
🥘
Easy Lentil Soup
Uses lentils · no soaking · 25 min
Send →
🌮
Lentil Tacos
Kids think it's ground beef — usually a win
Send →
🧇
Whole Grain Quesadilla
Addresses bread refusal — tortilla + melted cheese
Send →
✅ Recipe sent!
Clinical note — auto-saved to chart
Upcoming Appointments
Issues pre-loaded · click row to load client
ClientDateStatusCome prepared to address
Maria G.May 5High34% use · overdue alt milk request · Spanish primary
Jasmine T.May 12MedFish & lentils 0% · bread refusal · package swap discussion
Destiny K.May 15Good91% use 🌟 · breastfeeding 4mo · wants legume increase
Tanya W.May 18Good88% use · FMNP interest — bring flyer

Generate Reports

Export for ISDH reporting, USDA grant applications, or internal review. This redemption-by-food data doesn't exist anywhere else in the WIC system.

Report Type
Date Range

Benefit Utilization Summary — April 2026

Marion County WIC · 42 clients · Generated April 27, 2026

Indiana WIC Concept Proposal · April 2026
167K
Indiana WIC
participants/month

The Problem

Indiana WIC serves 167,877 participants each month across 145 clinics and 780+ authorized vendors. The program provides $150–$300 in monthly food benefits per family. But nearly 18.5% of those benefits go unredeemed — not because families don't need the food, but because they don't know how to prepare unfamiliar items, their kids refuse new foods, and there is no digital channel between a client and their dietitian between monthly clinic visits.

The consequences compound. Research from the University of Washington (2025) shows that every 10% decrease in benefit redemption is associated with a measurable increase in program dropout risk. Families who stop using their benefits tend to leave WIC entirely — losing the health outcomes the program exists to provide.

18.5%
of WIC food benefit value goes unredeemed nationally (Li et al., 2021)
505%
higher dropout risk for families using fewer than 10% of their benefits (UW, 2025)
3.7★
Indiana INWIC app rating — active login failures, no meal planning, no dietitian channel

Current State vs. Nourish WIC

❌ What exists today

  • Indiana INWIC app: barcode scanner + balance only. Rated 3.7★ with active login failures.
  • WICShopper (national): does not support Indiana.
  • Dietitians learn about unused foods at the next month's appointment — too late to intervene.
  • No way for a client to ask "what do I do with lentils?" without calling the clinic.
  • No meal planning, recipes tied to the client's package, or cooking videos.

✅ What Nourish WIC adds

  • Personalized meal plans built from the client's exact monthly food package.
  • Food-specific expiry alerts with recipe links — not generic benefit expiry notices.
  • 60-second cooking videos for unfamiliar WIC foods: lentils, canned fish, whole grains.
  • Dietitian dashboard: real-time utilization data, push a recipe in 8 seconds.
  • "My kid refused it" flow — specific tips by food, direct message-to-dietitian feature.

Feature Comparison

FeatureINWIC App (Indiana)WICShopper (National)Nourish WIC
Benefit balance display
Barcode scanner
Indiana WIC support✓ (unreliable)✓ Purpose-built
Personalized meal planning✓ Core feature
Expiry alerts by food item
Cooking video tutorials✓ Nourish Food School
"Kid refused it" help flow
Dietitian dashboard✓ Core feature
Real-time utilization data
Recipe push to client
Clinical outcome reports✓ Exportable CSV

Grant & Funding Landscape

WIC technology is an active federal investment area. The American Rescue Plan Act (2021) allocated $390M specifically for WIC modernization — much of it now in state agency budgets. Indiana ISDH received modernization funds and is actively updating the food package following the April 2024 federal rule change (implementation deadline April 2026).

USDA SBIR Phase I
Small Business Innovation Research grants for food/nutrition tech. Phase I awards ~$150–200K to prove the concept. LLC-eligible.
Apply via USDA NIFA →
Indiana FSSA Pilot Agreement
Indiana FSSA has authority to pilot new tools with ISDH. A no-cost pilot creates the outcome data needed for future grant applications.
Contact ISDH WIC Director →
National WIC Association
NWA received a 3-year grant from Elevance Health for WIC technology innovation. Actively seeking state-level pilot partners.
Contact NWA →
HRSA Maternal & Child Health
HRSA funds technology serving MCH populations. The Nourish WIC dietitian dashboard qualifies as a clinical support tool.
Review grants.gov →

Business Model

Phase 1 · 0–12 months

Grant-funded or no-cost pilot with Indiana ISDH. Deploy to a single county clinic, collect food redemption outcome data.

Phase 2 · 12–24 months

State SaaS contract with Indiana ISDH. ~$1/participant/month = ~$2M/year at full Indiana enrollment of 167K participants.

Phase 3 · 24+ months

Expand to other state WIC agencies using Indiana outcome data. All 88 state WIC agencies are potential customers.

Ready to discuss a pilot with Indiana ISDH?

The 2024 food package update takes effect April 2026 — Indiana WIC is actively updating all client education materials right now. The timing couldn't be better.