Families missing out on NHS money for healthy food
Summary
Thousands of low-income families in parts of England are missing out on NHS Healthy Start payments, which help pay for healthy food like fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk. Charities want the government to make the program easier to access and increase support because food prices are rising.Key Facts
- Families earning less than £400 a week with children under four, or who are pregnant, can get weekly payments of £4.65 or £9.30 for babies under 12 months.
- Some areas like Redcar and Cleveland have 87% of eligible families enrolled, while others like Eden have as low as 64%.
- Overall, more than 6,000 eligible families in the North East and Cumbria are not claiming the money.
- Feeding Britain and other charities say the current payments are not enough to cover the real cost of healthy food and baby formula.
- Rising food prices make it harder for families to provide nutritious meals.
- Charities suggest the government should automatically enroll eligible parents to make it easier to get the payments.
- Some families report skipping meals or cutting costs on essentials to feed their children.
- The government has been asked for comment but had not responded at the time of the report.
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