Only two constituencies have reached the 75% uptake target set by Government, which are Hartlepool (79.2%) and Great Grimsby (75%). Uptake levels are low due to many families being unaware of the scheme or having dropped off the scheme when it was digitised last year due to problems with the application process.
Healthy Start is part of the UK Government’s benefits scheme targeted at families with children under the age of four and pregnant mothers on very low incomes, as well as all pregnant teenagers below 18 years of age. It is meant to provide a critical nutritional safety net for the most nutritionally vulnerable, and comprises two parts: a cash allowance and multivitamin supplements.
Eligible families receive £4.25 per week per eligible individual (£8.50 for infants under one) intended for spending on fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, pulses and grains, cow's milk or infant formula.
MP Emma Lewell-Buck called on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay to solve the issue of low uptake of the Healthy Start by introducing automatic registration.
Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, commented: “It's wholly unacceptable that only two constituencies in all of England are managing to meet the Government's own target for uptake. Clearly, the Government needs a much better strategy for ensuring this statutory scheme functions effectively, as the current approach just isn’t working.
“The consequences of this fall on hundreds of thousands of low-income families with newborns and very young children who are missing out on access to vital nutritious food. Although adequate promotion of the scheme is essential, we should be working towards auto-enrolling families who are known to be eligible for the scheme: it’s the obvious answer. As food prices soar, Government needs to stop sitting on its hands and act now."