Increasing Healthy Food Access Through Integrated Nutrition Incentives

Summary

UC San Diego Center for Community Health, in partnership with Mother’s Nutritional Center (MNC) and funded by the California Department of Social Services, developed the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project (Pilot Project), a first-of-its-kind effort to integrate nutrition incentives directly into the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system for CalFresh, California’s implementation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Challenge

Standard nutrition incentive programs often rely on paper coupons or loyalty cards, methods that are easy to lose or misunderstand, leading to low redemption rates and limited impact. CalFresh households, already facing affordability and access barriers to healthy foods, need more effective solutions.

The Approach

The Pilot Project embedded nutrition incentives directly into the CalFresh EBT system, allowing recipients to automatically earn up to $60/month when purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables. Launched in 79 MNC stores, the program leveraged a trusted community retailer with deep roots in serving WIC and CalFresh families, boosting participation, accessibility, and local economic engagement.

The Impact

Since its 2023 launch, the Pilot Project has reached nearly 93,000 CalFresh households, delivered $18 million in nutrition incentives, with nearly 100% redemption rates. It has demonstrated a scalable, and highly efficient model for nutrition incentive delivery, driving better food access, diet quality, and chronic disease prevention, while supporting local businesses. Furthermore, the Pilot Project is now informing similar programs nationwide.

The Relevance to Community-Level Outcomes

Co-developed with local partners, this initiative reflects lived experience and real-world need, not just academic design. It delivers tangible benefits like improved food access, reduced chronic disease risk, and economic stimulus. Communities are now using this model to strengthen funding proposals, advocate for policy change, and demand more just food systems.

Key Benefits

		Community Health Services – Demonstrated By embedding incentives into the CalFresh EBT system, the Pilot Project removed major barriers to redemption, reaching families with the greatest needs and promoting nutrition security through everyday retail access
		Disease Prevention and Reduction – Potential By making healthy food more affordable and accessible, the Pilot Project has the potential to improve diets and reduce risk for nutrition-related chronic diseases among low-income populations.
		Public Health Practices – Demonstrated This systems-level innovation brought together government, healthcare, retail, and agriculture in a cross-sector model that modernizes public health delivery through technology-driven nutrition incentive integration.
		Social and Economic Benefit - Demonstrated The Pilot Project stimulates local economies by increasing demand for fresh produce, benefiting both retailers and farmers, while simultaneously increasing access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables, reducing food insecurity and long-term healthcare costs tied to poor diet.
		Legislation - Demonstrated The Pilot Project has helped shape state policy, and has inspired similar efforts in other states, demonstrating its national relevance. These advances were driven by advocates striving to make healthy food more affordable for low-income Californians, including Fullwell, Nourish California, Mother’s Nutritional Center, and the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative Community Council. These efforts secured $46 million in additional funding, underscoring how strategic advocacy can translate successful pilots into sustained systems change that expands healthy food access for low-income communities.