Healthy Start Scheme


Photos of two toddlers sitting at a table eating healthy vegetables

The Healthy Start Scheme enables eligible pregnant women and families with children under the age of four who meet the qualifying criteria to claim pre-loaded Healthy Start cards that can be used to purchase milk, fruit and vegetables or infant formula milk. In addition to the pre-paid card, those entitled to the Scheme may also avail of free 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.
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 much you’ll get

You’ll get money added onto your Healthy Start card every 4 weeks.

You’ll get:

  • £4.25 each week of your pregnancy from the 10th week
  • £8.50 each week for children from birth to 1 year old
  • £4.25 each week for children between 1 and 4 years old

Details are here: 

Healthy Start scheme | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk)




Last Updated: 12/02/2025