Families on low incomes have been unable to get free food and milk because government vouchers are being declined at supermarket tills, as reported by Good Morning Britain (GMB).
The ITV programme ran a report this morning detailing that some families have been prevented from accessing the benefits of the 'Healthy Start' scheme.
This scheme is for women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have at least one child that’s under the age of four, and who are receiving income support like Child Tax Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit.
However, GMB has been told that problems have started to arise since paper vouchers were replaced with pre-paid cards on the scheme, as there have been some cases of supermarkets rejecting them.
Good Morning Britain has been told that families on low incomes are missing out on free food and milk because government vouchers are being declined at supermarket tills. @LouisaJamesITV reports.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 8, 2022
Watch GMB 👉 https://t.co/6iQ6ebfmuo pic.twitter.com/nZ9GHwtOWt
Statistics from the Department of Health showed that 40% of households in England and Wales, who were eligible for the benefit, didn't claim it last year, which is why the paper vouchers were changed to increase take-up.
Andrew Forsey, the director of Feeding Britain, was interviewed by GMB to discuss this issue.
He said: "Parents, local authorities, health bodies and some retailers [are] telling us there are four barriers around enrolling on the scheme, redeeming the cards in supermarkets, making supermarket staff aware of the new cards and accessing help through [the] Healthy Start helpline.
"We've even seen in some cases that parents, as a result, are having to use a food bank."
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