Government Urged To Expand Healthy Start And Broaden Access To Fresh Produce

The Food Foundation is calling on the government to act urgently to widen access to the Healthy Start scheme, and help more families afford the fresh fruit and vegetables needed to support healthy growth and development during pregnancy and the early years.

Some 750,000 pregnant women and children from low-income households are missing out on vital nutritional support due to restrictive eligibility criteria, according to the charity, prompting calls for wider eligibility and sustained government investment in the scheme.

As families continue to struggle with rising food prices, the Food Foundation is urging the government to expand the Healthy Start scheme to all pregnant women and children under five in households receiving Universal Credit. 

Ahead of the Autumn Budget next week, the charity has published a new report highlighting how widening the scheme could improve access to nutritious food during pregnancy and early childhood, while delivering wider health and economic benefits. 

The campaign is backed by more than 100 organisations across the food industry, health, education, academia, and local government, alongside high-profile supporters including Jo Frost, Dame Emma Thompson, and chef and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

“Good nutrition in the earliest years lays the all-important foundations for children’s health, learning and future opportunities,” explained Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation. “Yet Healthy Start is shutting out many of the families it was created to help.

“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.”

“These early years also support a wonderful opportunity to establish sturdy eating habits and build a positive relationship with nutritious food that can last a lifetime,” added Jo Frost, global family expert and star of Supernanny. 

“We’re calling for change so that every child gets the healthy start they deserve.”

Established 20 years ago, Healthy Start provides eligible families with financial support to buy fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and vitamins during pregnancy and a child's early years. 

However, families receiving Universal Credit currently qualify only if their earnings fall below £408 a month, while support ends when a child turns four.

The charity is calling for eligibility to be extended to ensure support continues until children start school.

The call comes as food prices remain significantly higher than five years ago, with food and non-alcoholic beverage prices around 39% above August 2021 levels. 

The pressure is particularly acute for families on the lowest incomes.

The poorest fifth of households with children would need to spend 85% of their disposable income to afford the government-recommended diet, the Food Foundation said. 

The charity added that nearly one in four households with a child under five experience food insecurity.

Rising Prices Leaves Fresh Produce Unaffordable

When household budgets are stretched, fresh produce is among the foods lower-income families may cut back on, potentially compromising dietary quality and increasing the risk of poor health outcomes in later life.

The Food Foundation’s report estimates that expanding Healthy Start to all families receiving Universal Credit would generate £2.36 in returns for every £1 invested. 

This would deliver a £7.7 billion gain over 10 years through reduced food insecurity, increased disposable income, and wider economic benefits, the charity said.

The Food Foundation also points to the planned expansion of Free School Meals from September 2026 to all children in Universal Credit households as evidence that wider access to nutritional support is achievable. 

It argues that pregnant women, babies, and pre-school children should benefit from a comparable safety net before they enter school.

Industry support is already emerging. 

This week Sainsbury’s announced a top-up to Healthy Start for the period leading up to Christmas. 

The Food Foundation said it hopes this will encourage a broader industry-wide response alongside government action to extend the scheme.

Read the full report here.