Sainsbury’s shoppers can get extra money to spend on their food through a special scheme to help struggling parents.
Customers who are part of the Healthy Start scheme will get an extra £2 top-up voucher each week for a limited time. The extra cash can be used to put toward the cost of fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables.
To get the £2 top-up, you have to be registered with the Healthy Start food voucher scheme, which is run through the NHS. You currently get £4.25 each week loaded onto a Healthy Start card. If you have a child under the age of one, you could get two vouchers a week.
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Sainsbury's will be providing an extra £2 coupon every week over the next six months - adding up to £52 worth of vouchers. The top-up from Sainsbury’s will run from this Wednesday (October 12) to Tuesday, April 11.
The supermarket first introduced the £2 top-up coupon in 2021, helping families during February half term, reports The Mirror. The coupon was then reintroduced throughout the winter to provide extra help to those who may be struggling over the Christmas period.
Ruth Cranston, director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said: "We know that times are tough for millions of families across the country, and that the rising cost of living is causing uncertainty for many of our customers, so today we’ve announced that we’ll be topping up the Government funded NHS Healthy Start scheme by £2 for the third time.
"As part of our brand promise Helping Everyone Eat Better, we believe that everyone deserves to eat well, and the cost of healthy food shouldn’t be a barrier to this. We hope this additional support will ensure that good, quality food is accessible for everyone."
Who is eligible for the Healthy Start scheme?
You might be entitled to use the Healthy Start scheme if you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4. You need to be claiming certain benefits to qualify. This includes:
- Child Tax Credit (only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
- Universal Credit (only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (but only if you are over 10 weeks pregnant)
- Working Tax Credit run-on (this is the Working Tax Credit you receive in the four weeks immediately after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week)
Or, if you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you’ll get Healthy Start vouchers until your baby is born regardless of whether you claim benefits or not. Parents used to be sent paper vouchers but anyone who applies now will be sent a physical card instead.
Only certain products can be bought with the Healthy Start vouchers, including:
- Cow’s milk
- Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
- Infant formula milk
- Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- Free vitamins
You also need to check where they can be spent, as not all stores accept the Healthy Start vouchers. Some of the most well-known retailers that accept them include Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
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