Healthy Start
Health professionals talk about the importance of good nutrition for pregnant women and young children. The Healthy Start scheme (Best Start Foods in Scotland) supports families with lower incomes to access healthier foods and free vitamins to help children get the best start in life.
But many people are not aware they are entitled to them, or simply do not know how to get and use them. We are here to help walk you through it all, from whether you can get them to where to obtain them and even how to use them well.
What is the Healthy Start Scheme?
Get help to buy food and milk.
Over 200,000 families with young children and pregnant woman are losing out on Healthy Start payments toward free fruit, veg, milk and vitamins in 2023 with nearly half of all eligible households not signed up.
The Healthy Start scheme provides fruit, vegetables, vitamins and milk for young families on low incomes, and could have helped many more with the current cost of living crisis. Making the most of Healthy Start vouchers could be the single most beneficial thing you can do to add veg to your family’s budget, so check and see if you are eligible and cash in on them soon!
How much is it worth
The Healthy Start scheme supports pregnant women or those with children aged under 4. Eligible families can receive the following amounts to spend in over 30,000 shops on healthy food.
£4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week
£8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old
£4.25 each week for children between 1 and 4 years old
Best Start Foods is available for those living in Scotland and provides:
£18 every 4 weeks during pregnancy – the payment amount is per pregnancy. This means the payment amount is the same whether you’re pregnant with one baby, or if you’re having twins or triplets
£36 every 4 weeks from your child being born up until they’re one year old
£18 every 4 weeks when your child is between the ages of one and 3 years old
Where can I use the vouchers?
You can use your Healthy Start or Best Start card in most places that sell milk, infant formula, fruit and vegetables.
They must display a Mastercard® symbol. The symbol is normally shown on the shop door or at the till. Ask an employee inside the shop if they take Mastercard if you’re unsure.
If you try to spend the money anywhere else the card will be declined (eg: at a fast food restaurant).
You can use any paper vouchers you have up until the expiry date shown on them. You may need to ask the retailer if they can accept the vouchers.
What can I get?
You can only 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
Am I eligible?
If you get Universal Credit, you can apply online if:
- you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have at least one child under 4 years old
- your family’s monthly ‘take-home pay’ (also called ‘earned income’) is £408 or less from employment
f you get Child Tax Credit, you may be eligible for Healthy Start if:
- your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less
- you do not get Working Tax Credit
Most people who get Child Tax Credit can apply online. You can apply online if you’re either:
- more than 10 weeks pregnant and have children under the age of 4
- not pregnant but have children under the age of 4
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant and have other children who are all aged 4 or older, you’ll need to apply by email or phone.
What if I'm in Scotland?
Live in Scotland?
You may be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods if all of the following apply:
- You live in Scotland
- You or your partner are getting certain benefits or tax credits
- You or your partner are pregnant, or are the main person looking after a baby or child who’s the right age for a payment
- If you’re under 18, you do not need to be on any payments or benefits to apply for Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods.
If you’re a parent over 18, you can apply whether you’re in work or not, as long as you’re getting one of these:
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit – this is Working Tax Credit with Child Tax Credit for Best Start Foods
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
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