Families from low income households in the North West will benefit from a new scheme from today, giving free milk and fresh fruit and vegetables to children and mums to be.  Healthy Start - which replaces the Welfare Food Scheme - will be launched on Monday 27 November 2006.  For the North West, this means that an estimated 75,000 pregnant women and children under four in low income families (the corresponding national figure is around 605,000) are to be given more choice as the Healthy Start vouchers can be exchanged for milk, indant formula and fresh fruit and vegetables instead of just milk and infant formula.  Free vitamin supplements remain an improtant part of the new scheme. The key aims are to improve nutrition, give children the best start in life and reduce health inequalities. 

 

The new vouchers will be worth £2.80 each.  Qualifying pregnant women and children over one and under four will get one voucher every week, and children under one year old will get two vouchers a week.  Vouchers can be spent at participating retailers - including small businesses and milkment as well as larger supermarkets and chemists.