Recommendation 3b: The Healthy Start Scheme and First Infant Formula

- Ongoing data sharing delays are currently preventing the Department of Health and Social Care, which manages the scheme from contacting the relevant families to inform them of their eligibility, as the data on who is eligible is currently held by the Department of Work and Pensions. [...] - Many retailers promoted the scheme during the pandemic and introduced schemes to add value to the paper vouchers, but the new digital card doesn’t allow them to continue to add value in this way. [...] The value of the scheme has not kept pace with rapid food price inflation: - In April 2021, the Government increased the value of Healthy Start from £3.10 to £4.25 – the first increase since 2010. [...] - Exploring the potential to use loyalty card schemes to promote the scheme and incentivize the use of funds on healthy foods. [...] Increase the value of the Healthy Start allowance in line with inflation and price increases - The failure to uprate Healthy Start in line with inflation and price increases has meant that no first infant formulas that are affordable with the Healthy Start allowance.