Erdington MP Sion Simon this week paid tribute to a new Government scheme which enables families from low income households across the West Midlands to have access to healthier food.
The new scheme, which was launched on Monday 27 November, provides free milk and fresh fruit and vegetables to children and mums-to-be.
Healthy Start is replacing the Welfare Food Scheme, first brought in during the Second World War to help combat food shortages. Like the Welfare Food Scheme, Healthy Start will provide people who qualify with vouchers to buy milk and infant formula. However, the new scheme will provide greater flexibility, also allowing parents to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Free vitamin supplements will remain an important part of the new scheme.
The new vouchers will be worth £2.80 each. Qualifying pregnant women and children over one and under four will get one voucher every week, and children under one year old will get two vouchers a week. Vouchers can be spent with participating retailers – including small businesses and milkmen as well as larger supermarkets and chemists.
Around 20,000 individual retailers across the UK have already signed up to participate in Healthy Start, more than had signed up to the Welfare Food Scheme. Retailers include food co-operatives, box schemes, markets, greengrocers and milk roundsmen as well as supermarkets and chemists.
Mr. Simon said:
“Once again, this Labour Government has delivered on its manifesto commitment to give every child the best possible start in life and support families, with the unveiling of a scheme to provide more help for families most in need.”
“This “Healthy Start” programme will encourage a healthy diet from the early stages of child’s life. It is great news that low income families across Birmingham can now make the choices for their health that may have previously eluded them.”
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said:
“Poor diet can have a real impact on people’s health. We want 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.”
Over half a million low income households across England currently benefit from the Welfare Food Scheme. Eligible families will automatically move over to Healthy Start, but for the first time the scheme will also be open to all pregnant women under the age of 18 – a group known to be nutritionally vulnerable and at risk of having babies with a low birth weight. Pregnant women and children under four in families receiving certain benefits will also be eligible to receive the vouchers.
Health professionals working with pregnant women and families with young children will have an important role in the scheme, providing them with advice and information on healthy eating and breastfeeding and supporting their applications for Healthy Start.
Jackie Heighton-Lewin of the Food Net for Children Nutrition Team in Birmingham said:
“The Food Net for Children Nutrition Team, which is part of Birmingham Community Nutrition & Dietetic Department, works with the local Sure Start and Children Centre staff to promote good nutrition to their populations. The staff receive training about healthy eating, including that for pregnancy and breastfeeding, which they then use to impart healthy eating messages locally. The developing Healthy Start programme has been promoted from an early stage via the training and regular newsletters, and the Children’s Centres are keen to be involved.”
The scheme is already running in Devon and Cornwall. An evaluation of this first phase showed retailers were eager to get involved. With the number of shops and supermarkets still on the rise, Healthy Start will be even more convenient for those who receive the vouchers.
Debbie Clarke, spokesperson for Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, said:
“Morrisons stores nationwide are pleased to accept Healthy Start vouchers. We believe the scheme is a great way of encouraging customers to eat a balanced diet. As the vouchers have a fixed monetary value, it makes claiming a lot easier for customers and staff. In addition, the scheme offers more choice as the vouchers can be used to buy milk, infant formula milk, fruit and vegetables. So far it has been well-received throughout numerous Morrisons stores.”
Deirdre Doogan, spokesperson for Lloydspharmacy, said:
“Lloydspharmacy supports the Healthy Start initiative. As an easily accessible resource for advice on lifestyle and nutrition, community pharmacists are ideally placed to help pregnant women and families make healthy choices.”
Pregnant women and families on the new scheme will also be able to use the Healthy Start website to check if they qualify, download an application form, and find local shops participating in the scheme. The website also offers recipe ideas, tips for eating healthily during pregnancy and even recipe suggestions for weaning.
