The scheme provides a card that allows pregnant women and families with young children to pay for healthy foods such as milk, infant formula, fruit and vegetables. Recipients must have a low income and be on certain other benefits to qualify for the cards, which are worth either £4.25 or £8.50 a week. depending on the age of the child.

But the consumer group Which? has found that many eligible recipients have not applied for the benefit, leaving at least £880,000 unclaimed each week.

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection and food policy at Which?, said: “The Healthy Start scheme has the potential to help many hard-up families that are struggling with the unrelenting cost of living crisis and have had to skip meals or use food banks as a result. However, poor take-up means millions of pounds’ worth of help is going unclaimed.”

Take-up rates vary according to location, but at 63.9 % overall they are well below the Government’s target rate of 75% in March.

High eligibility, low take-up

Which? said it had pinpointed several local authority areas, including boroughs in London and in parts of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, where usage is low despite there being lots of eligible families. Only five areas were doing better than 75% and a similar program in Scotland had an estimated take up rate of 88%.

So what can be done to improve the numbers and help children?

Which? said the Government needs to do a better job of promoting the scheme but that supermarkets can also help spread the word.

Improve ease-of-use

It said that while some supermarkets have tried to promote the program and even distributed free food like frozen vegetables, they should do more by making sure their workers are well-trained to make it as easy for people to use the card, either in stores or online.

Davies added: “There is an important role for the government to expand the scheme and increase its value, but we are also calling on supermarkets to help customers by better promoting what is available and providing extra top ups for those who use the scheme. 

“Supermarkets also need to make it easier for all customers to work out which items offer the best value for money by making sure their pricing is clear and easily comparable between items. Supermarkets must ensure everyone has access to basic, affordable food ranges, especially in areas where they are most needed.”