In an open letter to the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Rashford has urged health professionals to help spread the word about the government scheme designed to give young children from low-income households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland a nutritious start in life.
To qualify, applicants must be at least ten weeks pregnant, have at least one child under the age of four, and be in receipt of a welfare benefit, such as child tax credit or universal credit.
Rashford said: “While we have seen 57,000 more parents benefit from the scheme as a result, I’m concerned we are plateauing. Long term, sustainable, change can only come when communities work towards a common goal.
“No child deserves to be starting life 20 yards behind any other child from the day they are born, just because of where they are born and the circumstances they are born into. All children deserve a chance.”
Research published in September 2020 by the Food Foundation showed around 14% of UK families with children had experienced food insecurity in the previous six months and couldn’t afford or access sufficient food.
Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, commented: “Healthy Start is a great programme but too many people who could benefit don’t even know about it. We need to do all we can to make sure that all those eligible can use it to help them afford to eat more fruit and veg.”
Read Rashford’s open letter here.