You should only use your card to buy certain types of milk, infant formula, fruit and vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables
These should be:
- fresh or frozen or tinned
- whole or chopped
- packaged or loose
- fruit in fruit juice, or fruit or vegetables in water
- fresh, dried or tinned pulses
These should not be:
- with added ingredients like fat (oil), salt, sugar or flavourings, such as tinned tomatoes and herbs, kidney beans in chilli sauce, chips or onion rings
- juiced or pre-cooked
- fruits in syrup
- smoothies
Plain cow’s milk
This should be plain cow’s milk, which is pasteurised, sterilised, long-life or ultra-heat treated (UHT).
It should not be:
- flavoured
- coloured
- evaporated
- condensed
- plant-based milk
- powdered (unless it’s stage one infant formula)
Infant formula
This should be:
- labelled as suitable from birth
- made from cow’s milk
It should not be follow-on formula or milk (‘from 6 months’, or ‘from 6 to 12 months’).
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Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions that people may have about the Healthy Start scheme