Iceland extends its free £1 veg scheme for low income families with healthy start vouchers – how to claim

ICELAND has extended its scheme to offer free vegetables to families with Healthy Start vouchers.

The frozen food specialist says parents can get a free £1 pack of frozen vegetables every time they use a voucher in store.

Iceland is offering families free veg under its Healthy Start scheme

Customers can choose from 25 varieties of frozen veg and can redeem the offer every time they use a Healthy Start Voucher.

In Scotland, families will receive the same offer of free frozen veg when they spend £4.25 or more on a Best Start Foods card.

The offer was first launched on September 11, 2020 and it will now be available until August 31 2021 in all Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores.

That means struggling families can continue to get the extra help throughout the summer holidays.

The promotion was announced last year as Iceland joined footballer Marcus Rashford’s Food Poverty Taskforce and was originally scheduled to end on March 31 2021.

Vegetable packs available on the Iceland scheme include:

Petits Pois
Country Mix
Butternut Squash Chunks
Baby Carrots
Button Sprouts
Supersweet Sweetcorn
Broccoli Florets
Mixed Peppers
Cauliflower Florets
Floret and Carrot Mix
Garden Peas
Mixed Vegetables
Whole Green Beans

What is the healthy start scheme?

If you’re pregnant or have children under the age of four you can get free vouchers or payments every four weeks to spend on:

cow’s milk
fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
infant formula milk
fresh, dried, and tinned pulses

You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.

The vouchers are currently worth £4.25, but Marcus Rashford is campaigning for the value to go up.

The Iceland free veg deal is on top of what you buy with the vouchers, meaning the value rises to £5.25.

How to apply for the Healthy Start scheme

To apply for the Healthy Start scheme, you can download a paper application form from the Healthy Start website, or you can request one from your GP or Midwife.

Alternatively, you can request one from the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823. You cannot apply online.

If you qualify for Healthy Start, you will receive one voucher a week for children between one and four.

You could get:

£4.25 each week of your pregnancy (from the 10th week of your pregnancy)
£8.50 each week for children under 1
£4.25 each week for children between the age of 1 and below 4 years old.

Am I eligible for the Healthy Start scheme?

YOU must be at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old to be eligible for the scheme.

You must also receive one of the following benefits:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year
Pension Credit
Universal Credit with a total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family

You also qualify if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you don’t get any of the above benefits.