Government scheme meant to prevent malnutrition 'not fit for purpose'

Government scheme meant to prevent food insecurity and malnutrition amongst pregnant women and young children not fit for purpose - say NGOs, health visitors, midwives and poverty campaigners  

A letter, coordinated by The Food Foundation and signed by more than 80 signatories representing NGOs, local government, medical bodies and anti-poverty campaigners, including chef Tom Kerridge, representatives from Barnardo’s, the Institute of Health Visiting, Royal College of Midwives, Sustain and The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, has today been sent to Government calling on them to ensure pregnant women and those with babies and toddlers who are living in poverty receive the basic support they need for children to grow up healthily.

The letter asks for the Government’s Child Poverty Taskforce to include measures to ensure children are receiving the nutrition they need at this critical stage of development.

Currently, households with children are persistently at higher risk of food insecurity than households without. In June 2024, The Food Foundation found that food insecurity was experienced by 18% of households with children, compared to 11.7% of households without children.

This shows how important it is that the government’s Healthy Start scheme, which is supposed to provide a critical nutritional safety net for pregnant women and families with children under four who are living in poverty, reaches these families.

• Restrictive eligibility criteria and only being available to those with a household income of £408 per month or less, excluding benefits. 
• Low value of £4.25 a week. The payment hasn’t increased since 2021 and so has failed to keep up with inflation. For comparison, the Best Start Foods scheme, which is the Healthy Start equivalent in Scotland, has a value of £5.30 a week. 
• Low uptake, with about a third of eligible families currently not signed up to the scheme due to lack of awareness and administrative hurdles.  
• Families currently only being eligible until their child turns four, meaning there is a gap before children start school and have access to Free School Meals.

High levels of food insecurity among households with children are particularly concerning given how important good nutrition is in pregnancy and for young children’s growth and development.

Food insecurity in pregnancy has been linked to antenatal depression, gestational diabetes, and excessive or insufficient weight gain in mothers. For babies, good nutrition is essential for healthy growth, strong immunity and preventing diet related illnesses later in life.

The letter, addressed to Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education, Chair of the Child Poverty Taskforce,  Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chair of the Child Poverty Taskforce and Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calls for improvements to the Healthy Start scheme to be made as part of the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy.

Given how important Healthy Start is for the low-income families already benefiting from it, we know the scheme has great potential to help many more families living in poverty to access their basic right to food and reduce health inequalities. 

Signatories of the letter are calling on the government to:

• Expand eligibility to include all families on Universal Credit, and extend the age-eligibility to include children under five years old 
• Increase the value of the Healthy Start allowance in line with inflation 
• Introduce auto-enrolment, with an “opt-out” rather than the current “opt-in” system to remove barriers faced by families in applying 

Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation, said: "By the time children start school, one in five are already an unhealthy weight, with rates twice as high among the most deprived communities compared to the most privileged. Not only that, but a third of five-year-olds have tooth decay.

"These shocking figures highlight a glaring truth: more needs to be done to ensure our children are getting a nutritious start in life.

"Government should be doing everything it can to prevent our children getting sick in the first place. The Healthy Start scheme has enormous potential to help the most deprived children access healthy food from their earliest years but is currently falling short.

"We urgently call on Government to recognise the incredibly beneficial impact this scheme could have if it was improved.

"This would help children access much-needed healthy food at one of the most critical times in their lives for growth and development."

Tom Kerridge, chef and poverty campaigner, said: "It is unacceptable that in a country like the UK we still have such a high number of households with children suffering from food insecurity.

"We know how important it is for children to eat properly so they can grow up and thrive. The Government’s Healthy Start scheme has the potential to help but is currently not reaching the people who need it most.

"Improvements to the scheme need to be urgently included in the Government’s upcoming Child Poverty Strategy."

Vicky Gilroy, Director of Innovation and Research, Institute of Health Visiting, said: "Healthy Start provides an essential nutritional safety net for babies, children and families living in poverty.

"The Institute of Health Visiting fully supports the call to expand and extend the Healthy Start scheme, including auto-enrolment, expanded eligibility criteria, and increased value.

"This will support more families to access healthy foods, enabling babies, children and families in poverty to eat well."

Lynn Perry, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s said: "The Healthy Start scheme helps parents struggling with the cost of nutritious food - but £4.25 a week just isn’t enough to cover the essentials for families with young children. Many families also don’t know about the scheme or how to access it.

"This really matters because being unable to access healthy food can have serious long-term impacts on a child’s life, both physically and mentally.

"At Barnardo's, we support calls to review and improve Healthy Start to make sure it is fit for purpose. Increasing the amount offered, as well as making it easier for parents to access the scheme, will help make sure families and children can afford to buy healthy food."

Barbara, a mother of two daughters aged one and four, and a Food Ambassador for The Food Foundation from Hartlepool, said: "Healthy Start aims to help and support pregnant women, mums, babies and toddlers have necessary supplements and nutrition. Yes, this is beautiful, but I think many people are not aware of this beautiful opportunity.

"I must confess that it's only been a month since I knew that they help provide supplements and vitamins for babies and new mums... It was only when I saw the GP because I was feeling sick and dizzy, that I found out I had an iron deficiency and lacked some vitamins.

"I really wish that Healthy Start and nutrition education was shared with new mums when leaving hospital, so that they know if they can receive the Healthy Start benefits.

"More awareness and auto-enrolment of Healthy Start, would help many parents on low incomes from facing unnecessary challenges with food and health."

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please contact Juliet Grant on 07899 973122 or email juliet.grant@foodfoundation.org.uk

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW
Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager, The Food Foundation 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter/X: @Food_Foundation 
Instagram: food.foundation
LinkedIn: The Food Foundation
Tiktok: thefoodfoundation
YouTube: @foodfoundation91

The Food Foundation Podcast
For in-depth analysis and lived experiences listen to our podcast

ABOUT THE FOOD FOUNDATION
The Food Foundation is a charity working to influence food policy and business practice, shaping a sustainable food system which makes healthy diets affordable and accessible for all. We work in partnership with researchers, campaigners, community bodies, industry, investors, government and citizens to galvanise the UK’s diverse agents of change, using surprising and inventive ideas to drive fundamental shifts in our food system. These efforts are based on the continual re-evaluation of opportunities for action, building and synthesising strong evidence, convening powerful coalitions, harnessing citizens’ voices and delivering impactful communications.        
Registered Charity Number 1187611.