Healthy Start: food and vitamin support

Healthy Start: food and vitamin support

Help to buy healthy food and milk as well as free vitamins for eligible families.

If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk as part of the Healthy Start Government Scheme

If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.

What you can buy

You can use your card to 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

You can also use your card to collect:

  • Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old

How to apply

Use the link below to apply:

Apply to the Healthy Start scheme

For more information about the scheme, visit the Healthy Start website.

Collection points

You can find out about vitamin collection points here: 

Vitamin and supplement advice when trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy

Folic acid and Vitamin D are recommended when trying to get pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to improve you and your baby’s health and help prevent pregnancy complications.

This includes:

  • 400 micrograms of folic acid every day – from before you're pregnant until you're 12 weeks pregnant, this is to reduce the risk of problems in the baby's development in the early weeks of pregnancy
  • a daily Vitamin D supplement

Do not take cod liver oil or any supplements containing Vitamin A (retinol) when you're pregnant. Too much Vitamin A could harm your baby. Always check the label.

Low cost vitamins are also available from your local family hub or you can visit a pharmacy or supermarket.

Low cost vitamins if you are not eligible for a Healthy Start Card

If you are not eligible for the healthy start card, you can still collect low cost vitamins from your local Family Hub (see collection points). 

Vitamin tablets for adults are £1.00 per pack. Baby and young children drops are £1.80 per pack. The vitamin drops are suitable for children up to 5 years of age. Please have the exact change.
 

Related

Cost of living support

Many Worcestershire residents are currently struggling with rising living costs. That’s why it is important to know what help and support is available to you.

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