Cal Fresh discount on produce extended
CHICO >> As pandemic-era Cal Fresh benefits come to an end, a produce discount program at a Chico grocery store may help some families deal with budget cuts.
The Chico Natural Foods Cooperative announced its Matching On Regional Eats program received two more years of funding through a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The program gives Cal Fresh recipients a 50% discount for California-grown produce up to $40 per transaction.
Brand Manager Joey Haney said the program incentives shoppers to purchase locally sourced food when price discrepancies exist between cheaper, internationally shipped produce over pricier local produce.
“It hlps make California grown produce and locally grown produce more affordable to folks who are price sensitive when it comes to choosing what to purchase,” Haney said.
Haney said the reduced prices of Californiagrown produce, in turn, can support the farmers growing the food and encourages buyers to buy local when growing seasons overlap with yearround imports.
The program may also help households receiving Cal Fresh benefits who will be seeing cuts to their budget in April.
In March 2020, the federal government approved emergency allotments to its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which gave higherthan-usual amounts in food stamps to all recipients of the program which includes Cal Fresh.
The final emergency allotment ends in March and starting in April, families will see benefits similar to pre-pandemic amounts. Cal Matters reported that the average household using Cal Fresh will lose about $200 a month, and a single-person household could drop from $281 to $23 in April.
“A lot of folks have grown to rely on Cal Fresh benefits especially in times of increasing food prices and increasing inflation. It’s a shame that folks are seeing their food budget reduced at this time because one of the most basic important things is to keep people fed with good food,” Haney said.
“That’s why I am excited, in spite of that bad news, that we are able to continue doing this program to help folks search out their Cal Fresh budget a little further while still getting good, fresh California produce.”
The discount applies to all Cal Fresh recipients and no sign up nor membership to the co-op is required.
The prices of any fresh fruit or vegetables grown in California will automatically be discounted for all Cal Fresh shoppers. Produce eligible for discount are marked by a “MORE” tag.
The co-op’s Matching On Regional Eats program has been live since September 2020, funded by the California Nutrition Incentive Program.
Haney said the program has disbursed more than $60,000 to date and the program will be funded into 2025 with the newly awarded grant.