How to best use the $60 CalFresh fruit and vegetable incentive benefit?

The CalFresh Healthy Incentive Program gives you up to $60/month back when you buy fruits and vegetables at participating stores and farmers markets. Here's how it works: 1. You can only use it at authorized locations (most major grocery chains and farmers markets participate) 2. The credit happens automatically when you use your EBT card to buy qualifying produce 3. You'll see the discount applied right on your receipt 4. You can use the full $60 all at once or spread it out 5. It resets on the 1st of each month (doesn't roll over) I find farmers markets give you the most bang for your buck. Just look for signs saying "CalFresh accepted here" or "Market Match".

ITS A SCAM!!! i tried using this so-called "incentive" at three diffrent stores and NONE of them knew what i was talking about!!!! the cashier at foodmaxx looked at me like i was trying to commit fraud and the manager said they dont do any special fruit programs with calfresh. tired of getting my hopes up with these benefit promises that NEVER WORK in real life.

i use mine at the farmers market every saturday!! they double my benefits up to $60 so i get $120 worth of fruits and veggies every month. just swipe your ebt card at the main booth and they give you wooden tokens to spend at the vendor stands. way better quality than supermarket stuff too

I've been trying to reach my county worker to ask this exact question for weeks! Phone system keeps disconnecting me after 45+ minutes on hold. If anyone knows how to actually speak to a real person about the fruit incentive program or anything else CalFresh related, I'm desperate for advice. I think I'm doing something wrong because I haven't seen any discounts on my receipts yet.

The California Market Match program works differently depending on where you shop: 1. At major grocery chains (Safeway, Food4Less, SaveMart, etc.): It's automatic - the discount applies when you buy eligible produce and pay with EBT. The receipt will show the discount. 2. At farmers markets: Go to the main info booth first, tell them you have CalFresh/EBT, and they'll run your card. You tell them how much you want to spend from your regular benefits, and they'll match up to $60 with market match tokens. So if you spend $60 regular benefits, you get $60 in matching tokens = $120 total for produce. 3. The benefit resets monthly on the 1st. Note: Not every store has properly implemented this yet, which is why some people have trouble. If a store is supposed to participate but isn't giving the discount, ask for the store manager and have them check their updated CalFresh guidance.

To answer your question about frozen produce - yes, the incentive works for both fresh AND frozen fruits and vegetables as long as there's no added sugar, salt, or other ingredients. Plain frozen berries, broccoli, etc. all qualify. Canned products don't qualify for the incentive program though.

my cousin says its actually $60 PER PERSON in ur household but i dont think thats right?? i get $240 regular calfresh for me + my 3 kids but the fruit thing only gave me $60 total last month. am i missing something??

Update: I tried using the fruit and vegetable incentive at my local farmers market last weekend and it worked great! Just like you all suggested, I went to the info booth, told them I wanted to use my CalFresh benefits, and they swiped my EBT card for $60. Then they gave me $60 in regular tokens plus another $60 in special tokens just for fruits and vegetables. We got so much amazing produce! Much better deal than the supermarket. Thanks everyone for the help!

I'm new to CalFresh and just got approved too! Reading through all these responses is so helpful - I had no idea about the farmers market option giving you double the value. Quick question for everyone: does anyone know if the incentive program works at smaller independent grocery stores, or is it mainly just the big chains? There's a really nice family-owned produce market near me that accepts regular EBT, but I'm wondering if they'd have the fruit and vegetable incentive set up too. Also super grateful for the tip about Claimyr - I've been trying to reach my caseworker for weeks!

Just wanted to add another tip that's been working great for me - if you have an Aldi near you, they participate in the program and their produce prices are already really low, so the $60 incentive goes even further there! I've been able to get almost two weeks worth of fruits and vegetables for my family of four using the full $60 benefit. Also, pro tip: download your store's app first - some places like Safeway show the CalFresh incentive discount right in the app after you link your card, so you can track how much of your monthly $60 you've used without having to keep all your receipts. The program really is worth it once you figure out how to use it properly!