Healthy Start for Bridgend Babies and Toddlers

A new scheme for low income families in Bridgend to give free milk and fresh fruit and vegetables for children and mums to be has been introduced.

The Department of Health’s Healthy Start scheme will give vouchers to qualifying families in Bridgend to buy the nutritious milk, infant formula and food they need to give their children a healthy start in life – as well as free vitamin supplements.

Healthy Start replaces the Welfare Food Scheme – and extends the scheme’s access to pregnant women under 18, whose children are most in need of a nutritious start in life.

This is a great scheme for helping hard working families in Bridgend. Giving our children a healthy start in life is part of Labour’s commitment to end the scandal of child poverty. Every child in Bridgend deserves an equal fighting chance in life and that means making sure they get the healthy nutritious start that all children should get.

The vouchers can be used with registered retailers and I would like to encourage more businesses in Bridgend to take part in the scheme by registering with http://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/.

Many retailers in Bridgend are taking part in the scheme, but I’d like to encourage food co-operatives, box schemes, markets and farmers markets to start taking part as well as local greengrocers, milkmen, chemists and supermarkets.

Families in disadvantaged areas suffer higher rates of infant mortality, low birth weight, smoking during pregnancy and postnatal depression. This is why this Labour Government’s scheme is so important to help mums-to-be to give their children the healthiest possible start in life.

Mums and dads can also check the website to see if they qualify and get advice on healthy food for them and their families.

The new vouchers will be worth £2.80 each. Qualifying pregnant women and children over one and under four will get one voucher every week, and children under one year old will get two vouchers a week. Vouchers can be spent with participating retailers.