Healthy Start NHS

What you can buy with your card

You can use your pre-paid card at any retailer that accepts Mastercard and sells the following items:

Category

Fruit & Vegetables

What you can buy

Fresh, frozen or tinned. Whole or chopped. Packaged or loose. Fruit in fruit juice, or fruit or vegetables in water. Fresh, dried or tinned pulses.

What you cannot buy

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, pre-cooked, fruits in syrup or smoothies.

Category

Plain Cow’s Milk

What you can buy

Plain cow’s milk which is pasteurised, sterilised, long-life or ultra-heat treated (UHT).

What you cannot buy

Flavoured, coloured, evaporated or condensed milk. Plant-based milks. Powdered milk (unless it is stage one infant formula).

Category

Infant Formula

What you can buy

Infant formula labelled as suitable from birth and made from cow’s milk.

What you cannot buy

Follow-on formula or milk (“from 6 months”, or “from 6 to 12 months”).

You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.