FAQs

Since 2016, the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Program has distributed over $3 million in nutrition incentives (also known as “rebate dollars”) to CalFresh recipients across southern California through our special partnership with Northgate González Markets. Over the years, we have tested different program models to learn how to create the most benefit for as many participants as possible. That is why starting in the summer of 2024 we will be modifying the program with the following changes:

• Change #1: Lowering the monthly maximum of rebate dollars: In order to ensure that we have enough funding to provide rebate dollars to each participant for as many months as possible, we are lowering the monthly maximum of rebate dollars from $100/month to $50/month. This will also allow us to enroll a limited number of new participants who have not yet had a chance to benefit from the program while still providing support to our current participants who will automatically continue in the program. We know this change may be disappointing to some participants, but given funding limitations, the alternative would be to end the program early or start limiting the amount of time a person can remain enrolled.
• Change #2: Expanding the kinds of fruits and vegetables that are eligible for the program:  We know that our participants value having choices in the types of food they buy. Therefore, in addition to earning and redeeming rebate dollars on fresh fruits and vegetables, program participants can also earn and redeem rebate dollars on frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables, as long as they do not have added sugars, fats, or oils, and salt (i.e. sodium). See the FAQ entry below for more details about eligible products.

The ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Program is a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture, University of California, San Diego Center for Community Health, and Northgate González Market. The primary goal of this program is to evaluate the effect of financial incentives on the purchase and consumption of fruits and vegetables among CalFresh recipients. This program provides financial incentives (also known as “rebate dollars”) when participants  purchase fresh, frozen, dried and canned  fruits and vegetables, without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt (i.e. sodium),  with their CalFresh benefits on their EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer)) card. These rebate dollars can then be used to purchase additional qualifying fruits and vegetables, with the goal of increasing their purchasing power and overall consumption of healthy foods.

CalFresh recipients who enroll in the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Program will earn $4 for every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on qualifying fruits and vegetables, up to a maximum of  $50 in rebate dollars per month.  In addition to providing rebate dollars, the program includes ongoing fruit and vegetable discount pricing promotions. In-store nutrition education will also be provided, including healthy food shelf-labeling, cooking classes, and store tours to increase healthy eating knowledge and self-efficacy among CalFresh recipients.

Participants must be age 18 or older and currently be receiving CalFresh (SNAP) to be eligible to enroll in the program. Only one enrollment per household is permitted. Participants can only earn and redeem rebate dollars at Northgate González Market locations.

Enrolled participants can shop at any Northgate González Market in Southern California and earn rebate dollars when they purchase qualifying fruits and vegetables with the CalFresh benefits on their EBT card. This includes stores in the following California counties:  Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside. The list of participating Northgate González Markets is included in the enrollment packet that program participants receive when they enroll in the program. Program participants can also visit NorthgateMarket.com and click on “Locations” to find a Northgate González Market near where they live.

CalFresh recipients can enroll in the program online at masfresco.org. Enrollment opens and closes based on our projections about the availability of rebate dollar funds over time.

If the participant provided a phone number to be linked to their Más Fresco account during enrollment, they will be able to use their phone number at the register to earn and redeem rebate dollars at Northgate González Market locations within 24-48 hours after their online enrollment is complete. New participants will also receive a plastic Mi Familia card in the mail within one month of enrollment. This card will also allow them to earn and redeem their ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh rebate dollars at Northgate. If the participant did not provide a phone number at enrollment, they must wait until they receive their card. To add or change their phone number, participants can call/text/email the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program at 888-282-2711 or morefresh@ucsd.edu.

Enrolled program participants will receive a Northgate González Market Mi Familia card, which identifies them as being enrolled in the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program. This card will also be linked to their phone number, if they provided a phone number at enrollment. In order to receive their rebate dollars, they will need to:

1. Go to a Northgate González Market
2. Include qualifying fruits and vegetables in their purchase
3. At checkout and before they pay for their purchases, present their Northgate González Market Mi Familia card to the cashier or enter the phone number they used to register for the program
4. Pay for the purchase using their CalFresh EBT card. Program participants can only earn rebate dollars if they present their Northgate González Market Mi Familia card to the cashier at the checkout register AND pay for the qualifying fruits and vegetables with their CalFresh benefits on their EBT card. If they pay for the qualifying fruits and vegetables with a check, cash, credit card, or other form of payment, they will NOT earn rebate dollars.
5. Return to any Northgate González Market to use the rebate dollars to buy more qualifying fruits and vegetables.

Many fruits and vegetables qualify for rebate dollars including many brands, types, and organic fruits and vegetables. Further details are listed below.

Fruits and vegetables that qualify for rebate dollars include fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables, without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt (i.e. sodium), including:

• Any variety of whole or cut fresh fruits and vegetables
• Bagged fruits and vegetables
• Bagged or packaged salad mixtures
• Garlic, onion, ginger, jalapenos, peppers and chilies
• Fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt (i.e. sodium).

Fruits and vegetables that do NOT qualify for rebate dollars:

• Any food or product from the salad bar or deli, party trays, fruit baskets, or decorative vegetables and fruits, such as chilies or garlic on a string or printed pumpkins
• Nuts or fruit-nut mixtures
• Bagged salad or vegetable or fruit kits with added ingredients, such as dressing, croutons, cheese, dips or sauces
• Fruits and vegetables with added sugars, fats, oils, or salt (i.e. sodium).
• Fruits and vegetables with artificial, reduced-calorie, or no-calorie sweeteners

A key goal of the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program is to help increase the purchase and consumption of fruits and vegetables and improve the health of CalFresh recipients. As such, rebate dollars that program participants earn can only be used for the purchase of qualifying fruits and vegetables.

Yes, if you provided a phone number at enrollment, you can use that number at the cash register instead of the Mi Familia card. Ask the cashier to enter your phone number BEFORE you pay. To add or change their phone number, participants can call/text/email the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program at 888-282-2711 or morefresh@ucsd.edu.

Unfortunately, Mi Familia cards cannot be replaced. If the card is lost, please provide the phone number you provided at enrollment and the cashier can look up your Mi Familia card number.

The goal of this program is to support as many families as possible to eat more fruits and vegetables. Therefore, only one enrollment per household is permitted. Please note that multiple registrations using the same phone number or from within the same household are subject to being removed from the program.

Unfortunately, once a program participant stops receiving CalFresh benefits, they can no longer earn any ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh rebate dollars. Any unused rebate dollars already on the Mi Familia account can still be used until the balance is zero.

Program start dates vary for each participant based on the date they enrolled online. Enrollment opens and closes based on the availability of funding for rebate dollars. Once enrolled, participants can continue to use the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program as long as they are still receiving CalFresh benefits. The program may end or be paused if rebate dollar funding runs out. Updates about changes to the program will be communicated to participants via text, email, voice message, and mailed letters.

Using the Northgate González Market Mi Familia card or the phone number they provided at enrollment enables program participants to earn and redeem their rebate dollars. It also provides the program with necessary data to determine the impact that rebate dollars have on the purchase of qualifying fruits and vegetables among program participants.

CalFresh recipients who enroll in the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Program will earn $4 for every $1 of CalFresh benefits spent on qualifying fruits and vegetables, up to a maximum of $50 in rebate dollars per month.

Program participants can see the amount of rebate dollars they have earned during each shopping trip by looking at the bottom of their store receipt. The receipt will show how much they earned and how many rebate dollars they have left to buy additional qualifying fruits and vegetables.

If a participant in the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program wishes to return a fruit or vegetable item that they purchased with their rebate dollars, they will be able to exchange the item for a similar item of equal value.

The ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program is currently funded by grants from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) funding, formerly known as the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Program funding.

Grant award numbers:

2016-2021: USDA-NIFA-FINI-005395

2019-2024: USDA-NIFA-GusNIP 2019-70030-30404

2023-2027: USDA-NIFA-GusNIP 2023-70415-41206

For additional information about the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program, please contact:

Phone: 888-282-2711

Email: morefresh@ucsd.edu

Website: masfresco.org

If program participants ever experience a problem using their Mi Familia card or phone number at a participating Northgate González Market, or believe an item was eligible but didn’t earn rebate dollars, we ask that they do the following:

1. Keep their receipt, if they receive one, and take pictures of their receipt and any items they believe were eligible.
2. Ask the cashier or the customer service desk at the Northgate store to report this issue to the Northgate IT team at Headquarters
3. Contact the ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh program to tell us what happened by phone call or text message at 1-888-282-2711 or email us at morefresh@ucsd.edu. They can look up our website online at any time (masfresco.org) to find our contact information. We ask that they please include a picture of their receipt if possible.