California SNAP shopper buys $36 in produce and sees every dollar return to EBT

When grocery budgets get tight, fresh produce can quickly start to feel like a luxury.

One California SNAP shopper is drawing attention to a temporary state incentive that can make fruits and vegetables essentially free, at least up to a certain amount.

Here's what to know

A shopper in California highlighted the program in a post on Reddit in r/PovertyFinance. 

"California has temporarily brought back a produce incentive in some grocery stores," the original poster wrote.

According to the post, a produce purchase of about $36 was effectively reimbursed through the benefit. "$1 of produce equals $1 added back into your EBT balance," the shopper explained, adding, "Got about $36 of produce essentially for free."

The program tops out at $60 in rebates, meaning the shopper said there was still room to receive more back after that trip: "Can still go back and buy $24 of produce and receive the same amount added back into my account."

The shopper shared photos of their fresh produce haul, which featured three red bell peppers, three yellow bell peppers, six citrus fruits, one head of cabbage, one pineapple, two onions, five avocados, two crowns of broccoli, and several carrots, potatoes, and zucchinis.

"That's great, I'm happy for you," one commenter wrote. "I saw this on the local news this week and was really hoping everyone who is eligible would be taking advantage of it."

Another explained a similar program for New York residents: "New York Double Up Bucks is similar. You can get a voucher equal to your fresh fruit and vegetable spend (rounded down to the nearest dollar) at some grocery stores and farmers markets, up to $20 per day."

One commenter urged other California residents to take advantage of it, "Please use this incentive so it spreads to the rest of us desperate folks out here!"

More background

Another commenter offered more information on this specific program, which is called the CalFresh Fruit & Vegetable EBT Pilot Project. The California Legislature passed AB 18113, establishing the CF&V Pilot Project in 2018 with an initial allocation of $9.8 million, according to a report to the legislature. 

Implementation of this pilot project was delayed until Feb. 2023, and funds were expended by Feb. 2025. The CF&V Pilot Project resumed Oct. 1, 2026, with nearly double the amount of initial funding.

Today, over 80 stores across California are participating in the CF&V program.

Where can I learn more?

If you're looking for more ways to stretch a grocery budget, these stories offer other ideas for finding affordable produce and pantry staples.

• Flashfood shoppers are using a grocery discount app to slash bills on near-expiration staples.

• Budget-conscious families are turning to salvage grocery stores for cheaper produce and pantry basics.

• At local farm stands, shoppers are finding veggie stand haul prices that undercut major chains.

• On Farmish, buyers can buy directly from nearby farms instead of supermarkets.

• Too Good To Go users are claiming discounted food pickups before stores toss perfectly good meals.

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