Around half of those eligible for a Healthy Start card do not claim it, despite the clear benefits it brings. By applying for and receiving a Healthy Start card, shoppers can save money on many food and drink essentials.
By having a child under four or being more than 10 weeks pregnant, you could be entitled to financial help to buy healthy food and milk. Those eligible will be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it, this differs from the paper vouchers which were previously used.
This can be used in most UK shops on select items, notably milk, fruit and vegetables. The store must display a Mastercard logo, which is normally shown on the shop door or at the till.
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Benefit will be topped up onto the card every four weeks. As stipulated by the NHS, the Healthy Start card can be used to pay for the following items:
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
The card can also be used to collect Healthy Start vitamins - to support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding - and vitamin drops for babies and young children. Should you qualify, you will receive £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week, £8.50 for children from birth to one-year-old and £4.25 for children between the ages of one and four.
Supermarkets which have signed up to the scheme include:
- Aldi
- Asda
- Tesco
- Morrisons
- Lidl
- Iceland
You can split payments between your Healthy Start card and normal bank card or cash, though some shops will do this as a separate transaction. On self-service tills you can only split payments between the healthy start card and cash.
You can only apply for Healthy Start if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with Scottish residents able to apply for Best Start Foods instead. Applications can be made on the NHS website, and more details can be found here.
Speaking to BBC’s The One Show in June, Eat Well For Less’ Chris Bavin said: “I think it’s 46% or 50% of people eligible don’t claim it. So please go online, see if you’re eligible and if you are, claim it because it’s not a great deal but it is something and it goes towards fresh or tinned fruit and veg, milk and baby formula.”
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