Bill To Ensure Food Security Through CalFresh Signed By the Governor

A CalFresh pilot project served tens of thousands of people by improving access to healthy food. The project, known as the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Pilot Project, benefited both low-income Californians and the agricultural economy. Now, the Governor has signed Assemblymember Alex Lee’s legislation, AB 3229, to evaluate a long-term solution to making the pilot project a permanent program. 

“The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project is highly effective in addressing food insecurity,” said Assemblymember Lee, Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee. “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 California Department of Social Services (CDSS) launched the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot in 2023. For every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on any fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer, CalFresh recipients got $1 back on their EBT card to spend on any CalFresh-eligible food for up to $60/month. 

Recently, Assemblymember Lee secured $10 million to revive the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot, which ended in April due to the lack of funding. AB 3229 extends Assemblymember Lee’s commitment to the pilot project and tackling food insecurity statewide. The bill will accelerate CDSS’s evaluation of the pilot project and its planning process to transition the project into a permanent program. It requires the department to submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2025, that includes the steps necessary to transition the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot to a fully state-managed, supplemental benefits 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,” said Eli Zigas, Executive Director of Fullwell, a sponsor of AB 3229. “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.”

The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot, which was established by AB 1811 in 2018, has served as a critical source of supplemental benefits for individuals and families. According to the California Association of Food Banks, nearly a quarter of Californian households experienced food insecurity as of August 2024. Further, research has shown that the annual health care costs associated with food insecurity totals over $7 billion annually in California. 

“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,” said Angelica Diaz, Healthy Communities Branch Director at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. “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.”

Over 85 grocery stores and several farmers’ markets across the state participated in the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot. The impact of the program was far reaching. In Assemblymember Lee’s district of Santa Clara County, for instance, it served more than 7,200 households and brought over $460,000 additional dollars for families between fall 2023 to April 2024. Overall, the program provided a total of $10.5 million in rebates to 93,000 CalFresh households statewide since it launched last year.

"Nourish California extends our deep gratitude to state budget leaders, particularly Assemblymember Alex Lee, as well as Governor Newsom, for working together to address the alarming rates of food insecurity across our state,” said Jared Call, Director of Policy at Nourish California, a sponsor of AB 3229. “We and our community partners look forward to working with state administrators to restart this successful program and ultimately move toward a sustainable, statewide program. No one should go hungry in the great state of California."

Assemblymember Alex Lee’s explainer of the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot can be seen here. 

Press coverage of the program can be seen here.