ASO has joined more than 50 public health directors, sector experts and healthcare professionals in signing a letter to Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock calling on Government to allocate additional funding to the Healthy Start scheme which supports low-income families.
The letter urges government to increase the value of the voucher to £4.25 a week. The value of Healthy Start vouchers has not increased since 2009.
The ask is one of 3 key recommendations from the National Food Strategy and footballer Marcus Rashford’s #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign, alongside expansion of Free School Meals and holiday food provision. The ask is also part of Marcus Rashford’s petition which more than 1 million people have signed to date.
The Healthy Start scheme provides pregnant women and low-income families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with children under 4 with free vitamins and food vouchers to purchase vegetables, fruit, pulses and milk.