‘Free Instacart for Welfare Queens’: California Begins Sending Out Luxury Food Boxes at Taxpayers’ Expense
While middle-class families watch grocery prices climb and stretch their paychecks to cover the basics, California is using taxpayer money to deliver free boxes of salmon, beef, organic produce, and prepared meals from the brand Amy’s Kitchen straight to the doors of people on Medi-Cal.
Christopher Rufo highlighted the program on X, calling it “like free Instacart for welfare queens.”
The details come from a City Journal investigation into the CalAIM initiative, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s multibillion-dollar Medicaid overhaul.
EXCLUSIVE: California has launched a new program delivering free luxury food boxes to welfare recipients—including organic produce, fresh-caught salmon, and Amy's prepared meals.
It's like free Instacart for welfare queens. pic.twitter.com/kSz3YUwBTw
— Christopher Rufo (@christopherrufo) October 28, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: California has launched a new program delivering free luxury food boxes to welfare recipients—including organic produce, fresh-caught salmon, and Amy's prepared meals.
It's like free Instacart for welfare queens. pic.twitter.com/kSz3YUwBTw
— Christopher Rufo (@christopherrufo) October 28, 2026
Under the program’s “medically tailored meals” and grocery benefits, eligible Medi-Cal members can receive weekly deliveries for up to 12 weeks and then re-enroll, according to the report from City Journal.
A single recipient can cost taxpayers over $1,500 in the span of 24 weeks for the food and delivery. Qualifying Medi-Cal conditions are broad enough to include anxiety, PTSD, depression, and ADHD. Contractors such as Project FoodBox supply the boxes.