What is Healthy Start?
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
- plain liquid cow’s milk
- fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
- fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
- Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
Information: If you live in Scotland
You can get help from Best Start Foods (opens in a new tab) instead.
Join the Best Start in Life email programme
Sign up for personalised regular emails for trusted NHS advice, videos and tips on your pregnancy, birth and parenthood. You’ll receive regular emails tailored to your stage of pregnancy or your child’s age.

Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions that people may have about the Healthy Start scheme