Best Start Foods is a Scottish Government scheme to help pregnant people and young children afford healthy food.

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, read our guide on Healthy Start vouchers.

The money from Best Start Foods comes on a pre-paid Mastercard.

You can use this card to buy:

• Plain cows’ milk
• First infant formula
• Fresh, frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables
• Fresh or dried pulses like lentils, beans, peas or barley
• Fresh eggs

Applies to: Scotland

Age rules: No specific age rules

Type of benefit: Non means tested (but you may have to be receiving a qualifying benefit)

Administered by: Social Security Scotland
 

You can only get Best Start Foods if you live in Scotland.

If you’re under 18

You can get Best Start Foods if you are pregnant or are a parent of a child under 1, and you are under 18. Once your child turns one, you have to be getting a qualifying benefit to get Best Start Foods. 

If you are aged between 14 and 18, you can choose whether you get the card yourself or whether someone else gets it for you. If you are under 14, you will need your parent or carer to apply for you.

If you’re over 18 (or under 18 and your child is 1 or over)

You can get Best Start Foods if you are pregnant or are a parent of a child under 3 (if you were already getting Healthy Start vouchers before you claimed Best Start Foods, you may be able to get Best Start Foods until your child is 4) and you are getting one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income related Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, without Working Tax Credit (if you (and your partner) earn less than £18,725 per year)
• Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (if you (and your partner) earn less than £8,717 per year)
• Housing Benefit (if you (and your partner) earn less than £358 per week)
• Universal Credit (if you (and your partner) earn less than £726 per month)

You may be able to get Best Start Foods if you cannot claim benefits because of your immigration status and you are on a low income. Find out more about claiming Best Start Foods if you have no recourse to public funds.

Best Start Foods is paid through a pre-paid Mastercard. The card will be topped up automatically every four weeks.

You will get:

• £4.95 per week if you are pregnant
• £9.90 per week for each baby under one year old
• £4.95 per week for each child aged over one but under three (or under four if you were getting Healthy Start vouchers before you were moved over to the Best Start scheme).

Best Start Foods and other benefits

Best Start Foods will not count as income when working out your entitlement to other benefits.

Updated: April 2023

You can claim Best Start Foods online on the mygov.scot website. The mygov.scot website also offers ways to apply if you need a paper form, support if English isn't your first language, and applications using British Sign Language.

 You can also claim over the phone by calling: 0800 182 2222.