CA Fruit and Veggie EBT Incentives: An easier way for families to expand their food budget

The pilot ended on April 14th, 2024 due to how successful and popular the program was. The program may restart if California state leaders allocate additional funding in the 2024-2025 California Budget which will be signed by July 2024.

In 2018, AB 1811 established a grant program, supported by the Department of Social Services, for non-profit partners to support the establishment of the CA Fruit and Veggie EBT Pilot Project. The goal of the pilot project is to develop and implement technology to deliver supplemental benefits to CalFresh recipients in a way that can be easily adopted by USDA FNS (Food and Nutrition Service) authorized retailers of various types, sizes, and locations in the future. 

This program is the next step toward making supplemental benefits, also known as nutrition incentives, programs more available and easier to use for customers. Double Up Food Bucks launched as a paper coupon-based program in California in February 2017 with the goal of delivering supplemental benefits to Calfresh recipients in the Bay Area and sunset in June 2023. It is based on a model pioneered by the Fair Food Network in Michigan in 2009 and is similar to other healthy food incentive programs in California and across the country. The new Ca Fruit and Veggie EBT Pilot delivers incentives directly to the EBT card making it easier for Calfresh customers.

Core Partners:

The project is made possible by AB 1811 (2018) and supported by the California Department of Social Services.

For more background, visit SPUR’s website.