Healthy Start: Food and Vitamins

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. From April 2026. the weekly payment amount has increased.

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

How to apply?

If you get Universal Credit, your family's monthly 'take-home pay' from employment is £408 or less, and are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have parental responsibility for at least one child under 4 years old.

You can apply online. To apply, you will need your:

• name

• address

• date of birth

• National Insurance number

• baby’s due date (if you’re pregnant)

• Universal Credit statement (your application for Healthy Start must match these details)

Kingston's Children's Centres are able to help you complete the Healthy Start application if you need support.