CAFB Applauds California Budget Leaders for Investment in Food Banks and the State’s Nutrition Safety Net

With hundreds of thousands of Californians at risk of losing their SNAP eligibility in the coming months, the California Association of Food Banks applauds Governor Newsom and the Legislature for their leadership to strengthen the state’s food safety in the 2027 budget. In a state with such abundance, one in four adults experienced food insecurity in the past year. The inclusion of $108 million for CalFood for fiscal year 2026-27 will provide fresh, healthy California-grown foods to millions of Californians who need help putting food on the table.

Along with Governor Newsom, CAFB is particularly grateful to Pro Tem Monique Limón, Senator John Laird, Senator Caroline Menjivar, Speaker Robert Rivas, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, and Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson for their unwavering support for food banks and their vision to invest in bold and innovative solutions to address growing food insecurity in the face of federal cuts to assistance.

Other key nutrition priorities included in the final budget agreement are:

• $14M to sustain the vital CalFresh Outreach and application assistance program
• $15M to sustain the vital Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) 
• $16.5M to support Diaper Banks

CAFB and our partners are disappointed that the final budget does not include $5M to begin the expansion of the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to provide state-funded benefits to Californians cut off from CalFresh due to HR1’s harsh eligibility restrictions. We will continue to advance the CFAP Expansion companion bill, AB 2299 (Calderon) to provide the state the flexibility to ensure Californians can receive vital food benefits when federal policies don’t reflect our state’s values.

“Recent data show that nearly 16 million Californians have difficulty affording basic needs where they live and may turn to a food bank for assistance. We are incredibly grateful to the Legislature and Governor for making these bold investments at such a critical time. No one should go hungry in California,” said Stacia Levenfeld, Chief Executive Officer of the California Association of Food Banks.

Food Insecurity is a Serious and Growing Problem in California

Strengthening food assistance programs like CalFood and CalFresh is more important than ever. New data from Urban Institute show that in 2025, 24% of all adults in California experienced food insecurity, and among adults living with children, 33% experienced food insecurity. This data is not surprising given the high cost of living in California; Experiences of food insecurity were reported at higher, “moderate” income levels:

• 17% of adults at or above 200% the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is $60,000 per year for a family of four
• 13% of adults at or above 300% FPL: $99,000 per year for a family of four
• 9% of adults at or above 400% FPL: $132,000 per year for a family of four

With inflationary pressures affecting food, fuel, and rent, groceries are the most common affordability concern among U.S. adults. According to Urban Institute, in 2025 food insecure households had a higher likelihood of:

• Using cash from a payday loan to pay for groceries
• Using savings that were not intended for routine expenses to pay for groceries
• Not paying the minimum required payment on a credit card

Food banks remain a lifeline in helping families to put food on the table, providing an essential service to more than 6 million people per month, while helping to meet people in critical times of need, be it a government shutdown, natural disaster, or cuts to CalFresh due to H.R. 1. As federal support for food assistance continues to drop while food and fuel prices rise, we are thankful California’s leaders stepped up to support the emergency food network and invest in bold solutions to help Californians meet their most basic needs.