Sainsbury’s and Co-op among those urging government to expand eligibility to all pregnant people and children on Universal Credit and increase age bracket to all children under 5
A new report from the Food Foundation has revealed that 750,000 people from low-income backgrounds are missing out on the Healthy Start scheme because of strict eligibility criteria.
The report comes as a group of retailers, celebrities and organisations have united to call on the government to urgently extend eligibility for the scheme ahead of the autumn Budget next week.
Healthy Start is a government scheme that provides financial support and a nutritional safety net for pregnant people and families with young children on low incomes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Those on the scheme can buy fruit, vegetables and milk for free or at a discount using a Healthy Start card.
While it provides a vital lifeline for those who are eligible, the Food Foundation said two rules are locking out families who need support.
The foundation said households on Universal Credit with pregnant women, babies and young children only qualify if they earn under £408 a month.
Support also stops when a child turns four years old, leaving a gap before they start school and can access Free School Meals, the foundation added.
The report found that expanding Healthy Start to all families on Universal Credit would deliver a return on investment of £2.36 for every £1 spent.
Over 10 years, this would generate a £7.7bn gain as a result of the reductions in food insecurity, increased household disposable income and wider economic gains.
Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, said, “Healthy Start is shutting out many of the families it was created to help.
“The Children’s Commissioner’s stark warning this week about a childhood lottery makes action even more urgent: a child’s access to nutritious food must not depend on their postcode or on whether their parents earn just above an outdated threshold.
“Expanding Healthy Start to all families on Universal Credit and to every child under five would close this unacceptable gap and turn the Government’s wider early-years ambitions into healthier childhoods,” Taylor added.
Retailers Sainsbury’s, Iceland, Co-op and celebrities such as actress Emma Thomspon and TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are among the group calling for the government to extend scheme eligibility.
They are also joined by over 100 organisations including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Feeding Britain and Save the Children UK.
Jo Frost, global family expert and star of the Supernanny show, has also narrated a video to highlight why more families need access to the scheme.
Frost said: “A healthy diet in the first few years of a child’s life is critical to their growth and development.
“We’re calling for change so that every child gets the healthy start they deserve,” Frost added.
The calls come as Sainsbury’s yesterday announced a top-up to Healthy Start for the period up to Christmas.
The Food Foundation said it hopes this will be the first step towards an industry-wide initiative, with government also playing its part in supporting extending eligibility.
