
Thursday, 30 April, 2020
Local
Families can now apply for Healthy Start food vouchers without a health professional's signature on the form.
Healthy Start is the UK’s food welfare scheme for pregnant women and young children in lowincome families. The vouchers, worth £3.10 per week, can be used to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, milk or infant formula, and vitamin coupons are issued in addition. The application process and other issues have limited their reach, with uptake between 51% and 62% in Greater Manchester’s boroughs, charted by GM Combine Authority. This means many families are currently missing out, costing close to an estimated £4m per year across GM.