UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program

What UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program does

UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, now branded as CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California (CFHL, UC), is a federally funded SNAP-Ed public health education program established in 2014 and administered through the University of California, Davis, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. It operates as one of four California State Implementing Agencies for CalFresh Healthy Living, in formal partnership with the California Department of Social Services, California Department of Public Health, California Department of Aging, and Catholic Charities of California. The program delivers evidence-based nutrition and physical activity education to SNAP-eligible populations—primarily preschool and school-aged youth, along with adults, seniors, and families—across 34 California counties via UC Cooperative Extension offices and a network of 1,600 trained volunteer "extenders" comprising teachers, after-school staff, and community members.

The product portfolio comprises approved curricula segmented by audience (Youth, Adult, Family-Centered, Garden, Physical Activity) drawing on evidence-based programs such as CATCH, TWIGS, Eat Smart Live Strong, Food Smarts, and BEPA 2.0, alongside six strategic initiatives covering Gardening, Physical Activity, Healthy School Food, School Wellness Policy, Youth Engagement, and Community Engagement. Operations are supported by the PEARS data management system for activity tracking and by partnerships with Stanford (Our Voice citizen science app), Cornell (Smarter Lunchrooms Movement license), UC Master Gardener Program, UC 4-H, UC Davis Center for Regional Change, and Center for Ecoliteracy. The service is delivered at no cost to participants.

Revenue mechanics are entirely grant-based: the program receives funding from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through the California Department of Social Services, with no commercial product, pricing model, or sales motion. The State Office operates with a small core staff of six employees and relies on its volunteer extender network and county-based UCCE offices for delivery scale. Program documentation on the fsnep.ucdavis.edu website indicates that FFY 2026 functions as a wind-down and closeout year, with PEARS data entry closing June 30, 2026 and final annual reports due September 2026, signaling a planned contraction phase for the program.

Name

UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://fsnep.ucdavis.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California is a USDA SNAP-Ed nutrition education program administered through UC Davis, delivering evidence-based nutrition and physical activity curricula to SNAP-eligible youth, adults, seniors, and families across 34 California counties via 1,600 trained volunteer extenders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Nutrition Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Diet Education (Meal Planning, Macros, Healthy Cooking) (EDAAAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Wellness & Lifestyle Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAH), Physical Education & Health Instruction (EDAJAFAL), Infant & Toddler Nutrition Education (Complementary Feeding) (EDACAMAC), Social & Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) for Nutrition (BPADAJAK)

Keywords

• SNAP-Ed nutrition education
• Community nutrition programs
• School-based health education
• Garden-based learning
• Policy systems environmental change

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. USDA SNAP-Ed Funding: Government grant funding from USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program administered through California Department of Social Services. CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California is one of four State Implementing Agencies for CalFresh Healthy Living in California.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California delivers free, evidence-based nutrition education and physical activity programming to SNAP-eligible Californians (preschool, school-aged youth, adults, seniors, and families) across 34 California counties via UC Cooperative Extension. The core offering combines direct education curricula (youth, adult, family-centered, garden, and physical activity) with policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies to support healthy eating and active living in schools, early childhood centers, and communities.

Product overview

CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California is a comprehensive SNAP-Ed nutrition education program administered by UC Davis as one of four State Implementing Agencies. The program offers a portfolio of evidence-based curricula organized by audience (Youth, Adult, Family-Centered, Garden, Physical Activity) along with six strategic initiatives (Gardening, Physical Activity, Youth Engagement, Healthy School Food, School Wellness Policy, Community Engagement). Core products include youth and adult nutrition curricula (CATCH, TWIGS, Eat Smart Live Strong, Food Smarts), physical activity programming (CATCH PE, BEPA 2.0), and PSE change initiatives supporting school and community health. The program also provides program management tools including PEARS for tracking activities and SharePoint/Box for resource sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California Program A SNAP-Ed nutrition education program that teaches eligible individuals about good nutrition, food budget management, and physical activity, delivered across 34 California counties via UC Cooperative Extension. The program offers evidence-based nutrition education and physical activity classes aligned with policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies for SNAP-eligible participants including preschool and school-aged youth, adults, seniors, and families.
• Youth Curricula Comprehensive collection of approved nutrition and physical activity curricula serving preschool through high school students, including CATCH, TWIGS, Go Glow Grow, Learn Grow Eat & Go!, and EatFit programs.
• Adult Curricula Nutrition education programs for adults and older adults including Eat Smart Live Strong, Eating Smart Being Active, Food Smarts, Plan Shop Save & Cook, and Fresh From the Garden.
• Family-Centered Curricula Intergenerational nutrition and physical activity programs designed for families including Eat and Play Together! and Families Eating Smart Moving More.
• Garden Curricula and Programming Garden-enhanced nutrition education including TWIGS curriculum, Creating a Garden Coalition Toolkit, and School and Community Edible Garden Support Toolkit developed in partnership with UC Master Gardener Program.
• Physical Activity Curricula Evidence-based physical activity programs including CATCH PE, BEPA 2.0, Walking for Wellness, and playground stencil projects that integrate with nutrition interventions.
• Smarter Lunchrooms Movement Research-based principles using low- or no-cost solutions focusing on cafeteria environment and promotion of healthful eating behaviors in schools, delivered via Cornell University Smarter Lunchrooms/Smarter Mealtimes Movement materials and scorecards.
• Farm to School and ECE PSE and direct education interventions improving access to local foods in schools and early care environments through Rethinking Farm to School resources in partnership with the Center for Ecoliteracy.
• School Wellness Policy Initiative Support for schools in developing, assessing, and strengthening federally mandated Local School Wellness Policies that promote student health and academic achievement.
• Community Engagement Initiative (Stanford Our Voice) Collaborative community engagement approaches including Stanford Our Voice citizen science projects that center voices of CalFresh-eligible community members in health improvements.
• PEARS Program Activities Reporting System Program Activities Reporting System used for tracking direct activities, indirect activities, PSE activities, partnerships, and coalitions across CFHL, UC county programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Services provided in 34 California counties with 1,600 volunteer extenders

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• California Department of Social Services (CDSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDSS administers California SNAP-Ed in partnership with CFHL, UC. CDSS provides state-level oversight, guidance, and coordination for SNAP-Ed programs statewide.
• California Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on SNAP-Ed administration with focus on public health outcomes and chronic disease prevention through nutrition education.
• California Department of AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on SNAP-Ed to address nutrition and health needs of older adults eligible for CalFresh benefits.
• Catholic Charities of California, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four State Implementing Agencies for CalFresh Healthy Living, providing nutrition education services to SNAP-Ed eligible populations.
• UC Master Gardener ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support school and community gardens with science-based horticultural information. UC Master Gardeners deliver presentations on edible gardening topics and provide best practices for garden maintenance.
• UC 4-H Youth Development ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on youth engagement strategies including Youth/Teens as Teachers, YPAR, SNAC, and youth-led gardening initiatives across California.
• UC Davis Center for Regional ChangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on YPAR and youth-led research initiatives to promote youth voice in community health changes.
• Stanford University School of Medicine - Our VoicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to utilize Stanford's Our Voice citizen science initiative. Community members use the Discovery Tool mobile app to collect geotagged photos identifying health barriers and assets in their communities, leading to PSE changes.
• Center for EcoliteracymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Rethinking Farm to School project providing marketing resources and support for local food procurement in SNAP-Ed eligible schools.
• Cornell University - Smarter Lunchrooms MovementcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicense to use Smarter Lunchrooms and Smarter Mealtimes Movement materials and scorecards. Cornell developed the research-based principles for improving food selection in school lunchrooms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Action for Healthy Kids: National nonprofit supporting school-based nutrition and physical activity programs, overlapping with UC CalFresh's K-12 audience and school wellness policy initiatives, though without the SNAP-Ed public funding mandate.
• National Dairy Council / GENYOUth: Operates school wellness and nutrition programs targeting similar K-12 audiences with comparable focus on school food environment and physical activity — providing partial overlap with the Healthy School Food Initiative.

Direct peers

• California Department of Public Health SNAP-Ed: One of the other four State Implementing Agencies for CalFresh Healthy Living in California, delivering SNAP-Ed nutrition education to similar SNAP-eligible populations with overlapping geographic and audience coverage.
• Catholic Charities of California, Inc. — CalFresh Healthy Living: Another of the four California State Implementing Agencies for CalFresh Healthy Living, providing comparable SNAP-Ed nutrition education to low-income Californians through community-based programming.
• California Department of Aging — CalFresh Healthy Living: State Implementing Agency focused on nutrition education for older adults, a primary audience segment also served by UC CalFresh, with similar funding source and program model.
• Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition SNAP-Ed: University SNAP-Ed implementing agency delivering nutrition education and PSE change strategies in Massachusetts with research-backed curricula analogous to UC CalFresh's UC Davis-backed model.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed: Operates a university-based SNAP-Ed program with comparable land-grant extension structure, curricula, and PSE change approach — and is the originator of the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement that UC CalFresh licenses.

Broad incumbents

• CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Federal public health agency funding and guiding nutrition and physical activity programs nationwide, including SNAP-Ed frameworks — operates in the same policy and funding ecosystem as CFHL, UC.
• USDA Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP): Federal companion program to SNAP-Ed that similarly delivers evidence-based nutrition education to low-income families and youth through land-grant universities, providing closely related services with federal backing.

Regional players

• Oregon State University Extension SNAP-Ed: Land-grant university SNAP-Ed program operating in an adjacent West Coast state, delivering nutrition and physical activity education with similar extension-based delivery infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-calfresh-nutrition-education-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program