What is the CalFresh Healthy Living Nutrition Education Program?

December 27, 2025 •

4 min read

As of 2025, over one-third of California residents are eligible for CalFresh Healthy Living services, making it a critical public health initiative. The CalFresh Healthy Living Nutrition Education Program, federally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education (SNAP-Ed), works to improve the health and well-being of low-income Californians through comprehensive nutrition and physical activity education.

Quick Summary

The CalFresh Healthy Living Nutrition Education Program is a California initiative promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and community changes for low-income residents. It offers hands-on education, food demonstrations, and systemic interventions to improve health outcomes and food security statewide.

Key Points

Core Mission: The CalFresh Healthy Living Nutrition Education Program, California's SNAP-Ed initiative, aims to improve the health and well-being of low-income residents through nutrition education and physical activity promotion.
Multi-Level Strategy: The program uses a three-pronged approach: hands-on 'Direct Education', widespread 'Indirect Education' through outreach, and community-level 'Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) Change'.
Empowering Communities: Through partnerships with local organizations and the use of 'promotoras', the program delivers culturally relevant, trauma-informed education, which builds trust and increases the effectiveness of its lessons.
Focus on Skill-Building: Curricula emphasize practical skills like food resource management, budget-conscious shopping, healthy cooking, and mindful eating, along with physical activity.
Impactful Legacy: Despite facing a loss of federal funding and a planned end in 2026, the program's over 30 years of operation have had a significant, positive impact on low-income Californians through lasting community changes and educational resources.
Program vs. Benefits: It is distinct from standard CalFresh food benefits; while benefits provide funds for food purchases, the Healthy Living program provides the education and resources to maximize those benefits for optimal health.

The CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) Nutrition Education Program is California's version of the federal SNAP-Ed initiative, designed to empower low-income individuals and families to make healthier choices. Operated through a network of state and local partners, the program provides evidence-based education and resources to foster healthy eating and active lifestyles. This comprehensive effort goes beyond simply distributing food by addressing the behavioral and environmental factors that contribute to obesity and chronic disease.

The Three Pillars of the Program

CFHL operates on a multi-faceted approach to create a lasting impact. The program's core strategies are direct education, indirect education, and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change.

Direct Education

This involves hands-on, interactive classes and workshops for participants. The curriculum covers a range of topics designed to build practical skills. For instance, programs may feature live recipe demonstrations to reinforce nutrition lessons, helping participants apply what they've learned in real-time. A common feature is the use of peer educators, known as 'promotoras,' who are trained to lead classes within their own communities. This peer-led model fosters trust and ensures the lessons are culturally relevant and resonant with the participants' lived experiences.

Examples of direct education curricula include:

Food Smarts for College Students: An interactive curriculum designed to address the specific challenges and opportunities college students face regarding food and nutrition.
Around the Table: Nourishing Families: A workshop that builds food and cooking literacy while integrating emotional well-being and trauma-sensitive facilitation.
Color Me Healthy: A fun, sensory-driven program that teaches preschool children about healthy eating and physical activity through color, music, and stories.

Indirect Education

Indirect education encompasses broader outreach methods to reach a wider audience. This can include distributing educational materials like newsletters and flyers, implementing social marketing campaigns, and providing online resources. These materials offer guidance on meal planning, budgeting, food safety, and physical activity, and are often available in multiple languages to increase accessibility. The CFHL website hosts a wealth of such resources, providing tips and tools for making healthier choices.

Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) Change

The most far-reaching component of the program, PSE change focuses on transforming communities to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Instead of only teaching individuals, this strategy modifies the environment to support healthy behaviors. This can include working with food pantries to improve their offerings, supporting school wellness policies, or advocating for changes that increase access to fresh, healthy foods.

Example PSE Strategies:

Community Gardens: Supporting and expanding community garden initiatives to increase access to fresh produce.
Healthy Pantry Programs: Collaborating with food distribution sites to improve their environment, such as by promoting healthier food choices.
Farmer's Markets: Partnering with farmer's markets to increase participation and acceptance of CalFresh benefits, ensuring greater access to fresh, local produce.
School Wellness Policies: Assisting schools in developing and implementing policies that promote healthier eating and physical activity among students.

Comparison: CalFresh Benefits vs. CalFresh Healthy Living Program

To understand the full scope of CFHL, it's helpful to distinguish it from the standard CalFresh benefits program.


Feature	CalFresh (Food Benefits)	CalFresh Healthy Living
Program Goal	Provides monthly financial assistance for purchasing food.	Offers education and community initiatives to promote health.
Primary Tool	An Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card.	Interactive workshops, community partnerships, educational materials.
Focus	Short-term hunger relief by increasing purchasing power.	Long-term behavior change and community health improvement.
Eligibility	Income-based eligibility for individuals and families.	Eligibility for education is for those who receive or are eligible for CalFresh food benefits.
Delivery Method	Direct financial aid via EBT card.	Direct education, indirect education, and PSE change efforts.

Conclusion: Looking Ahead

While CalFresh Healthy Living has been a vital resource for millions of Californians for over 30 years, its future is uncertain due to federal budget changes. A federal bill signed in July 2025 ended funding for SNAP-Ed programs across the country, leading to the program's planned conclusion by June 30, 2026. Despite this looming end, the program's legacy remains significant. By focusing on education, empowerment, and environmental change, CalFresh Healthy Living has had a profound impact on the health of countless low-income individuals and families. Its emphasis on culturally relevant, trauma-informed education provided tangible skills that participants could apply to their daily lives. The partnerships and systemic changes implemented will leave a lasting footprint on California's communities, serving as a model for future public health initiatives.

For those interested in learning more, historical resources and tools developed by the program remain available online. The program's comprehensive and evidence-based approach highlights the importance of combining educational outreach with systemic change to effectively address food insecurity and promote long-term public health. For more information on the history and impact of SNAP-Ed programs nationwide, visit the United States Department of Agriculture website.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary goal is to promote and support healthy living among low-income Californians through comprehensive nutrition and physical activity education, as well as community-level changes.

The program primarily serves low-income Californians who are eligible for or receive CalFresh food benefits, typically those with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.

The program uses a variety of methods, including hands-on, direct education classes and workshops, indirect education through materials and online resources, and large-scale policy, systems, and environmental changes.

Curricula cover topics like understanding balanced meals, stretching food dollars, healthy cooking, reading food labels, and making healthier beverage choices.

A PSE change is a strategy that modifies the environment to make healthy choices easier. Examples include partnering with food pantries to increase healthy food options or supporting school wellness policies.

No. While related, the Healthy Living program focuses on education and lifestyle changes, while the CalFresh food benefits program provides financial assistance for purchasing food.

Funding for the program, which is tied to the federal SNAP-Ed program, ended due to a federal bill signed in July 2025. This will lead to the program's conclusion by June 30, 2026.