The Scottish government has revealed that income thresholds are to be removed from its Best Start Foods benefit, which provides help to pregnant women and families with children aged up to three years old, so they can buy healthy food, milk or baby formula.
The benefit is currently paid to people who receive qualifying benefits, so long as their incomes are not above set thresholds. The Scottish government will introduce regulations that remove those thresholds increasing eligibility for Best Start Foods to around an additional 20,000 people from February 2024.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Rising food prices disproportionately hurt those on the lowest incomes, so removing the threshold for qualifying benefits means around 20,000 people will now get vital help to buy healthy foods.
“Best Start Foods is one of our five family payments, including the Scottish Child Payment, which together could be worth more than £10,000 by the time a first child turns six and more than £20,000 by the time an eligible child is 16.”
Best Start Foods is delivered via a prepaid card and provides £19.80 every four weeks throughout pregnancy, £39.60 every four weeks from birth until a child turns one, then £19.80 every four weeks until a child turns three.
The benefit is to be promoted at more than 2,200 local convenience stores under a new partnership with the Scottish Grocers Federation Healthy Living Programme.
