Get $50 a month to purchase healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, for 12 months!

Program Information

As a participant of the program, you will receive a Foodsmart Foodcard, which works like a debit card. Every month for 12 months, $50 will be added on the Foodsmart Foodcard on the first day of the month. You can use your $50 in one or more shopping trips. If you don’t use the full $50 in the month, any remaining funds will roll-over to the next month. All funds must be used by the end of the 12 months in the program. You can use your Foodsmart Foodcard at participating stores to purchase eligible healthy foods.

Click here to view our program flyer.

Program Requirements

¡Más Fresco! Plus is different from the existing ¡Más Fresco! More Fresh Nutrition Incentive program in that it does not require you to be enrolled in CalFresh in order to receive benefits.

All that is required to participate in ¡Más Fresco! Plus are the following:

• 18 years of age or older
• Referred by a San Diego County community-based organization that has determined that you could benefit from increased access to and consumption of healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables
• One participant per household
• Live in San Diego County
• Have not previously participated in the ¡Más Fresco! Plus program

Program Overview

¡Más Fresco! Plus is a partnership between UC San Diego Center for Community Health under ACTRI, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego farmers, grocery stores, and community-based organizations across San Diego County. San Diego County community members who enroll in ¡Más Fresco! Plus will be sent a Foodsmart Foodcard in the mail. The Foodsmart Foodcard is a special debit card that can be used at participating grocery stores across San Diego County to purchase healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Each month, for 12 months, $50 will be added to your Foodsmart Foodcard. Once you enroll in the program, you will be provided with a list of the participating grocery stores and their locations as well as a list of the healthy foods that you can purchase with your Foodsmart Foodcard.

The goals of ¡Más Fresco! Plus are to:

Increase access to and consumption of healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, among community members who are experiencing health disparities, including food insecurity and diet related chronic disease.

Improve nutrition and health status among program participants.

This program is part of a University of California San Diego (UCSD) research study that aims to learn how nutrition incentives provided through ¡Más Fresco! Plus affect access to healthy foods, and how they help people consume more fruits and vegetables for better health.

As part of the enrollment process, you will be asked for your consent to participate in this research study. You will also be provided the opportunity to participate in a survey upon enrollment. After 6 months of your participation, some participants may be contacted by Más Fresco Plus staff about an opportunity to take a follow-up survey. This will help us learn more about the impact of the program and how it may help participants access and eat healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables, to improve health.

If you need assistance with enrolling online, please contact ¡Más Fresco! Plus, at 888-315-6602 or by e-mail at masfrescoplus@health.ucsd.edu, and a ¡Más Fresco! Plus staff member will help you enroll in the program.