Dawn Butler MP has welcomed the introduction by the Government of a new scheme - Healthy Start – which was introduced across the UK on 27th November 2006.

Healthy Start will provide eligible pregnant women, including all pregnant under-18 year olds, and children under the age of four with vouchers to spend on milk, fresh fruit and vegetables and infant formula.  Vouchers can be exchanged in any retail outlet that has applied to participate in the scheme.  These include supermarkets, milkmen, independent retailers, pharmacies, local box schemes, and market traders.

Each Healthy Start voucher will have a face value of £2.80.  All eligible pregnant women and children aged 1 to 3 will receive one voucher per week.  Families with an infant aged 0-12 months will receive two vouchers per week, totalling £5.60.

The scheme will also better support breastfeeding, by introducing equal benefits for both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers. The exchange of infant formula through NHS clinics will also be removed to assist in the promotion of breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for infants. 

Beneficiaries of the scheme will also receive a Healthy Start magazine and user guide alongside their first set of Healthy Start vouchers.  The user guide provides all the information beneficiaries need to know about using their vouchers and getting the most out of the scheme.

Families getting Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers’ Allowance, or Child Tax Credit (but not working tax credit) with a family income of less than £14,155 may apply. Those families currently getting Welfare Food Scheme milk tokens need not complete an application form, as they will be automatically transferred onto the new scheme. 

Dawn Butler MP said, “Poor diet can have a real impact on people's health. The Government wants people to have the best possible opportunity to eat healthily. But for families in low income households, this is sometimes easier said than done. This new scheme will not only provide greater choice of healthy food, but will also mean that children can get milk and fresh fruit and vegetables from the cradle up, helping to give them the best possible start in life and will certainly have a big impact in Brent where up to 8,000 families could be eligible. Those who wish to apply can find an application form on the Healthy Start website at www.healthystart.nhs.uk or by writing to me at Dawn Butler MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.”