The California obesity prevention program is not a single enrollment but a set of connected efforts you can tap into: nutrition benefits that go further at farmers’ markets, nutrition and physical education standards in schools and child care, street and route projects that make walking and biking safer, and a narrower set of clinical services through Medicare and Medi-Cal. The California Department of Public Health coordinates the statewide strategy under Let’s Get Healthy California, the official State Health Improvement Plan.1Let’s Get Healthy California. State Health Improvement Plan
Food Assistance You Can Use Directly
CalFresh Healthy Living
CalFresh Healthy Living is California’s version of the federal SNAP-Ed program and the largest nutrition education initiative in the country. It serves low-income Californians with free classes on budget-friendly eating and physical activity, offered in schools, food banks, and health clinics. The program also works on community-level changes that expand access to healthy food and places to be active.2CalFresh Healthy Living. CalFresh Healthy Living
Market Match at Farmers’ Markets
If you receive CalFresh, Market Match stretches your benefits at participating farmers’ markets. When you spend EBT dollars at the market, the program matches that amount dollar-for-dollar so you can buy more fruits and vegetables. The match limit varies by location but is typically up to $15 per visit.3California Department of Social Services. Get More at the Farmers Market Campaign Guide
WIC for Young Children and New Parents
Families with pregnant or postpartum women, infants, or children up to age five can enroll in the Women, Infants, and Children program alongside CalFresh. WIC provides specific food packages, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding support.4Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Eligibility
Online Grocery Shopping and Summer Benefits
CalFresh benefits now work for online grocery orders at participating retailers, which helps if transportation or mobility makes in-store shopping hard. Delivery fees are not covered.5CalFresh. California’s Food Assistance Program – CalFresh
For school-age children, SUN Bucks (California’s Summer EBT) provides $120 per eligible child in grocery benefits when school is out for summer. Most eligible children receive the benefit automatically; some families need to apply through their child’s school. Getting SUN Bucks does not affect immigration status, and your child can still use CalFresh and summer meal sites.6California Department of Social Services. SUN Bucks
What Schools and Child Care Must Provide
Physical Education Minutes
California sets minimum PE time in the Education Code. Students in grades one through six must receive at least 200 minutes of physical education every ten school days, not counting recess or lunch.7Justia Law. California Code EDC 51210-51212 Students in grades seven through twelve must receive at least 400 minutes every ten school days.8California Legislative Information. California Code EDC – 51222
School Wellness Policies
Local school districts must adopt wellness policies that set nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold or made available on campus during the school day. These rules apply to vending machines, student stores, and fundraiser foods, not just cafeteria meals.
Beverage Rules in Licensed Child Care
Licensed daycare facilities and preschools have followed the Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act since January 2012. The rules:
- Water must be available throughout the day, including at meals and snacks.
- Only one-percent or nonfat unflavored milk is served to children age two and older.
- No more than one age-appropriate serving per day of 100-percent juice.
- No beverages with added natural or artificial sweeteners.
You can still send whatever beverages you want with your own child, and medical exceptions apply when a physician documents the need. The standards update as the federal Dietary Guidelines are revised every five years.9California Legislative Information. Compare Versions – AB-2084 Child Day Care Facilities
Streets and Routes Built for Walking and Biking
Under the Complete Streets Act of 2008, any time a city or county makes a major update to the transportation section of its general plan, it must redesign that plan to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, children, seniors, and people with disabilities.10California Legislative Information. California Code GOV – 65302
A 2025 change raised the bar. Cities and counties revising their circulation elements on or after January 1, 2025 must incorporate the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach, which aims to eliminate fatal and serious injuries for all road users. Local governments must also develop bicycle, pedestrian, and traffic calming plans that identify high-risk corridors and set goals for completing safety improvements within 25 years.10California Legislative Information. California Code GOV – 65302
Funding for these projects flows through the Active Transportation Program, which consolidated several older programs, including the Bicycle Transportation Account and state Safe Routes to School, into a single grant mechanism.11Caltrans. Active Transportation Program The program prioritizes projects that improve public health: new bike lanes, crosswalks, sidewalks, and safer routes for children walking or biking to school. Cycle 7 allocated roughly $568 million across four fiscal years from 2025–26 through 2028–29.12Caltrans. Active Transportation Program (ATP) – Cycles 1-7
What Your Health Coverage Pays For
Medicare covers intensive behavioral therapy for obesity at no cost to you if your body mass index is 30 or higher and the counseling takes place in a primary care setting with your regular doctor. You pay nothing when your provider accepts Medicare assignment.13Medicare.gov. Obesity Behavioral Therapy
Medi-Cal coverage narrowed in 2026. Effective January 1, 2026, Medi-Cal stopped covering GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy, Saxenda, and Zepbound, when prescribed specifically for weight loss. These drugs remain covered for other approved uses such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Medi-Cal providers are directed to discuss alternative approaches for weight management, including dietary changes, increased physical activity, and counseling.14Medi-Cal Rx. Important Update: GLP-1s for Weight Loss Are Not a Covered Benefit
Who Runs It and How It’s Funded
CDPH leads the statewide strategy, working with local health departments and community organizations to change the settings where people eat, learn, and move. The USDA funds CalFresh Healthy Living through SNAP-Ed, and the CDC’s Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant provides flexible dollars that states use for their top public health priorities.15SAM.gov. Assistance Listing 93.991 – Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant These funds reach communities through competitive grants that CDPH and the Department of Social Services distribute to local agencies.
On the state side, Proposition 56, passed by voters in 2016, raised the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with most of the revenue flowing to Medi-Cal and a smaller share to tobacco prevention programs.16California State Auditor. Proposition 56 Tobacco Tax17Office of the Attorney General. Proposition 56 – Text of Proposed Laws The Active Transportation Program runs on a separate track, drawing from state fuel tax revenue and federal transportation dollars.12Caltrans. Active Transportation Program (ATP) – Cycles 1-7