The Food Foundation is leading the call for action to broaden access to the Healthy Start scheme.  Regather is one of the hundred plus food businesses, campaigning organisations and industry professionals who have added their voice to this urgent appeal.

The Healthy Start scheme was introduced by the Labour Government 20 years ago. It helps low income families afford fruit, vegetables, milk and vitamins during pregnancy and early childhood. It has proved to be one of the best ways of ensuring that nutritious food is available to the country’s poorest families. The Food Foundation is campaigning to broaden the number of families receiving this vital support. The current eligibility rules mean that families on Universal Credit (UC) can only qualify if they earn below £408 a month. The support ends at age four, creating a gap of up to a year before a child starts school and can access Free School Meals. These outdated rules mean that 750,000 pregnant women and children are missing out (1).

Food prices have risen 39% since 2021 and the cost of living crisis continues to leave many unable to afford life’s essentials. Fresh fruit and veg are beyond the budget of too many families. It matters more than ever that the scheme is extended. The Food Foundation argues that all pregnant women and children under five on UC should benefit from a Healthy Start from day one.

Andrew Forsey, National Director of Feeding Britain, said, “Across our network, we see families doing everything they can to put nutritious food on the table, yet too many are excluded from Healthy Start by rules that no longer reflect the pressures they face. Extending the scheme to all families on Universal Credit and covering children until they start school would give parents practical help before they reach crisis point. It would also strengthen the vital work of community organisations by ensuring more families have reliable support to buy healthy food, rather than having to depend on emergency provision.”

A nutritious diet in pregnancy and early childhood is the foundation for proper brain development and good health in later life. Eating more plants and fewer highly processed foods lowers the long-term risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Money spent by the Government on equitable access to good quality fresh food is a sound investment. Prevention of these diseases costs less than treating them later on in an already overburdened NHS. A well nourished child can concentrate better at school, which improves their learning outcomes and contributes to a fairer start in life.

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, said, “Good nutrition in the earliest years lays the all-important foundations for children’s health, learning and future opportunities. Yet Healthy Start is shutting out many of the families it was created to help. The Children’s Commissioner’s stark warning this week about a childhood lottery makes action even more urgent: a child’s access to nutritious food must not depend on their postcode or on whether their parents earn just above an outdated threshold. Free School Meals now provide a stronger safety net once children enter school; we urgently need sustained nutritional support from pregnancy to that point. Expanding Healthy Start to all families on Universal Credit and to every child under five would close this unacceptable gap and turn the Government’s wider early-years ambitions into healthier childhoods.”

There are positive precedents for pushing through this change. As of September 2026, Free School Meals are now available to every family receiving UC. The Government clearly sees the value in this revision, which further strengthens the case for closing the Healthy Start eligibility gap.

In addition, there are strong economic and environmental reasons to make fruit and veg more affordable. Healthy Start spending could boost demand for British-grown fruit, vegetables and pulses like beans and lentils. The Planetary Health Diet is plant-based, with limited amounts of meat and dairy products. This diet is not only good for our health but it also provides the framework for living within the limits of planetary resources. Expanding Healthy Start to all UC families would see a return of £2.36 for every £1 spent. Gaining £7.7 billion over 10 years as a result of the reductions in food insecurity, increased household disposable income, and wider economic gains (2).

Regather would also like to give a shout out to the Food Foundation’s partnership with Veg Power and their Bang in Some Beans initiative  Long the butt of fart jokes, beans are having a moment. Sales of beans and pulses increased 7.3% in the first six months of 2026 (3). They are a cheap source of protein with the added benefit of being full of fibre, which 86% of children don’t get enough of (4).

Dried or tinned, beans and pulses have a long shelf life. They can be added to, or be the star of, so many dishes. Dozens of delicious bean recipes from across the world can be accessed here.

1 & 2 – https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-10/Healthy%20Start%20Campaign%20Briefing%20SL.pdf
3 & 4 – https://vegpower.org.uk/bang-in-some-beans/