What is Healthy Start?

Healthy Start Food Vouchers are vouchers that can be used to buy healthy foods. They are for pregnant people and people who are responsible for children under 4. Healthy Start Food Vouchers can be exchanged for plain cows’ milk, plain, fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, any type of fresh, dried and tinned pulses such as lentils and infant formula milk.

If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.

You can use your card to buy:

plain liquid cow’s milk
fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
infant formula milk based on cow’s milk

You can also use your card to collect:

Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old

Do I qualify?

You’ll qualify for the Healthy Start Scheme if you are at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child that’s under 4. In addition you must be receiving one (or more) of the following:

Child Tax Credit: (only of your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
Universal Credit (only of your family’s take home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
You’re under 18 and pregnant, even if you are not claiming any benefits
You claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are over 10 weeks pregnant
You or your partner get Working Tax Credit run-on only (Working Tax Credit run-on is the Working Tax Credit you receive in the 4 weeks immediately after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week)

To find out if your family earns £408 or less per month from employment whilst claiming Universal Credit, look at your ‘take home pay for this period’ on your monthly Universal Credit award notice.

How do I Apply?

You can apply online using this link.