Major supermarket to extend Healthy Start scheme and parents can get up to £38 extra

A MAJOR supermarket has extended its offer of an extra £2 a week of food vouchers for hard-up households.

Sainsbury's gives customers a £2 coupon for fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and veg for their food shops when they use a Healthy Start card.

The supermarket announced today that the scheme, which is already live in England, will now be available in Wales and Northern Ireland too.

Sainsbury's claims the coupon extension could to help feed an extra 47,000 pregnant women and children over the coming months.

The Healthy Start scheme offers out prepaid food cards to women who are more than 10 weeks pregnant or women or men who have children under four.

The vouchers are worth £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week and £8.50 each week for children up to the age of one.

Once your child turns one, you will get vouchers worth £4.25 until they turn four.

The Sainsbury’s top-up means that families could receive either £6.25 or £10.50 worth of nutritious food per week.

Sainsbury's will be providing a £2 coupon every week until April 11 - adding up to £38 worth of vouchers between now and then.

Shoppers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who use a Healthy Start card when shopping will automatically receive a printed coupon at the checkout.

You can find your closest store on the Sainsbury's website.

Scotland has different schemes to support low income families.

The top-up will help families worried about being able to afford to feed their children as the cost of living soars.

Ruth Cranston, director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Sainsbury’s said: “We know how challenging things are at the moment and as the cost-of-living continues to rise, we’re committed to helping ensure that everyone has access to affordable and nutritious food. 

"We are really pleased we can extend our £2 top up for the NHS Healthy Start scheme to eligible customers in Wales and Northern Ireland and hope the additional coupon will provide some relief to many people over the coming months."

Sainsbury’s first introduced the £2 top-up coupon in 2021, helping families during February half term and beyond.

The coupon was then reintroduced last Christmas to provide extra help to those struggling over the festive period.   

Last month, the scheme returned for shoppers in England.

What are healthy start vouchers and how much are they worth?

The Healthy Start scheme is designed to help families cover the cost of healthy food for their kids.

Each healthy start voucher is currently worth £4.25 a week, and over a year that adds up to £221.

It's worth double that if you have a child under the age of one as you'll be eligible for two vouchers each week, so it's up to £442.

There used to be paper vouchers, but that's just been replaced by a prepaid card, so you'll get the amounts added to that instead automatically every four weeks.

You can use the healthy start prepaid card at any location where Mastercard is accepted.

Previously, paper vouchers could be used at a wide variety of stores, but not all local shops, supermarkets or pharmacists for vitamins.

As long as the shop accepts Mastercard, you can use the card at:

• Supermarkets
• Convenience stores
• Grocery stores
• Drug stores and pharmacies
• Markets
• Dairy products stores
• Butcher shops
• Petrol stations

You can't use the prepaid card for online shopping, or to withdraw cash from an ATM, but you can check the balance at a cash machine.

You can use healthy start vouchers to buy a variety of items:

• Cow’s milk
• Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
• Infant formula milk
• Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses

And you can use the vouchers to get vitamins too.

Who's eligible for a healthy start voucher?

You can get the help if you're more than ten weeks pregnant or have a child under the age of four.

You'll need to be claiming one of the following benefits to qualify.

• Child Tax Credit and an annual income of less than £16,190
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit and income of £408 or less per month from employment

You'll also need to be in England, Wales or Northern Ireland - in Scotland there's a different scheme offering similar help called Best Start Foods.

Anyone aged under 18 can get the help without claiming benefits.

How do I claim healthy start vouchers?

You can apply for the healthy start scheme online on the government website.

You can also print out a paper form from the Healthy Start website or you can request one from your GP or midwife.

Alternatively, you can request one from the healthy start helpline on 0345 607 6823. To apply, you will need your:

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number
• Baby’s due date (if you’re pregnant)
• Venefit award letter if you’re over 18

Once you've applied online, you should receive your card within five to 10 working days.

Recently, we found out from a supermarket expert how you can get your weekly shop cheaper in every aisle.

We also revealed the cheapest supermarket in the country - and it's not what you expect.