California is expanding SNAP benefits for thousands after Governor Gavin Newsom approved a new bill designed to ensure food security within the state.
Millions of people qualify for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans afford nutritious foods and avoid going hungry every year. SNAP is known as CalFresh in California and serves nearly 5 million residents.
The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Electronic Benefits Transfer Pilot Project boosted benefits for Californians using SNAP by offering $1 back on EBT cards for every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. The program ended in April after running out of money, but after AB 3229 was passed, the state will be looking into making the pilot permanent.
“AB 3229 will ensure a long-term solution to making the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot a permanent program so that CalFresh recipients can continue to benefit from supplemental benefits,” California Assemblymember Alex Lee told Newsweek. “It’s all the more important when CalFresh families already saw their benefits drop as COVID-19 federal aid for extra CalFresh benefits ended last year.”
“This is great news for those who qualify, as not only does it equate to a continuation of a program that is needed for low-income families, but it’s also one that promotes healthier food options,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
Lee first introduced the legislation, which allowed SNAP recipients to get up to an extra $60 for nutritious food each month.
“The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project is highly effective in addressing food insecurity,” Lee said in a statement. “It provided tens of thousands of Californians with healthier and more nutritious food. AB 3229 is part of my broader efforts to ensure that this program continues to benefit the most vulnerable Californians.”
The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable program originally went live in 2023, but since the pilot ran out of funding, Lee secured $10 million to revive the program.
“The benefit provides a dollar-for-dollar benefit for those eligible on the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group, told Newsweek. “This helped beneficiaries spend money on healthier options that are seen to lower unhealthy outcomes.”
Under AB 3229, the state must evaluate the pilot program and plan to transition the project into a permanent offering in California.
A person shopping at a grocery store in Rosemead, California, on August 14. California has expanded SNAP benefits under a new program helping recipients access fruits and vegetables.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
The California Department of Social Services must submit a report to the legislature by July 1 of next year outlining the necessary steps to transition the pilot into a long-term program.
“With the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Program, California has a great program that reduces hunger, improves health, and supports California’s agricultural economy,” Eli Zigas, the executive director of Fullwell, a sponsor of AB 3229, said in a statement.
“We are grateful that Assemblymember Alex Lee, along with his colleagues in the Legislature, and Governor Newsom see the value of this program and want a plan from the Department of Social Services for how to scale it up in the near future. The passage of AB 3229 is a positive step in accelerating the growth of this program’s reach and impact.”
Food insecurity is common across California, with roughly a quarter of state households reporting issues accessing affordable or healthy food in 2024, according to the California Association of Food Banks.
Not having access to healthy food can also cause health care costs to surge in the long run. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that food insecurity would cost the state over $7 billion yearly in health care.
“This bill will improve the health and well-being of people in Santa Clara County and across the state by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Angelica Diaz, Healthy Communities branch director at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, said in a statement.
“Part of our commitment to equity is working to remove barriers – like insufficient access to healthy fruits and vegetables – that contribute to poor health down the road, and that’s why making this pilot program permanent is so important.”
More than 85 grocery stores and some farmers’ markets participated in the pilot for the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable program.
Lee said that just in Santa Clara County, more than 7,200 households benefited, and families collectively received $460,000 more to use on healthy food between fall 2023 and April 2024.
Beene said that food assistance programs typically do little to encourage more health-conscious choices when distributing food to recipients.
“The result is many choose options that are affordable, but not always best for their mind and body,” Beene said. “The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable project looked to specifically encourage recipients to make smarter decisions, namely in the form of fruits and vegetables. Its continuation means healthier options that are affordable to low-income families in the states.”
