Healthy Start Briefing

Happy Baby Community is a project started by local Quakers and we discussed this issue at the recent QARN AGM. Another extreme example of what the hostile environment looks like in practice …

2026 July 12: Happy Baby: Healthy Start Briefing

What is the Issue to be raised in parliament?

Healthy Start Vouchers are given to all pregnant mothers and children 4 years and under in England, Wales and Northern Ireland except asylum seekers.

This makes no sense whatsoever in Public Health terms as most of these children will grow into adulthood here and will potentially have poorer health outcomes than the rest of the population.

The government had a chance to change this in the Child Poverty Strategy 5th December 2025, but they failed to include asylum seeking pregnant women and children under 4 years.

Asylum seekers in hotels receive £9.95 per week per person. The hotel food is of poor nutritional value and many of the women we work with have gestational diabetes and their children lack a balanced diet.

What is Healthy Start?

The Healthy Start scheme is an NHS programme that helps low-income pregnant women and families with young children buy healthy food and access free vitamins. It is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has a separate scheme called Best Start Foods).

Who can get it?

You may qualify if you:

Are more than 10 weeks pregnant, or
Have a child under 4 years old, and
Receive certain qualifying benefits (such as Universal Credit with low earnings, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit, or certain Tax Credits).

You may also qualify if:

You are under 18 and pregnant, even if you do not receive benefits.
In some circumstances, families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) can qualify if they meet specific criteria.

How much is paid?

Payments are added to a Healthy Start prepaid card every 4 weeks.

Current weekly amounts are:

£4.65 per week during pregnancy (from 10 weeks pregnant).
£9.30 per week for each child under 1 year old.
£4.65 per week for each child aged 1 to 4 years.

What can the money be spent on?

The card can be used to buy:

Plain cow’s milk
Infant formula milk
Fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables
Fresh, dried and tinned pulses (beans, lentils and chickpeas)

Families also receive free Healthy Start vitamins for pregnant women and children.

Evidence of Food Poverty in Asylum Hotels

There is substantial evidence from health professionals, charities, researchers and official inspections that some asylum-seeking children living in Home Office hotels experience poor diets, inadequate nutrition and weight loss. The evidence comes from multiple independent sources rather than a single study.

Key findings include:

Confirmed cases of malnutrition in children. Health professionals working with families in asylum hotels reported children becoming dangerously underweight, with some requiring regular weight monitoring. Charities supporting families described children refusing hotel food because of its poor quality or lack of suitability. (2)
Poor nutritional quality of meals. Reports consistently describe hotel meals as lacking fresh fruit and vegetables, offering little choice, and being heavily dependent on processed, high-carbohydrate foods. Families in full-board hotels cannot cook for themselves and are therefore entirely dependent on the meals provided. (2, 7)
Children losing weight or failing to grow as expected. A report by Housing Justice, Asylum Aid and the Helen Bamber Foundation cited letters from GPs expressing concern that children in hotels were losing weight or not growing appropriately because healthier food was unavailable. Specialist doctors also reported concerns about the impact of poor diets on existing medical conditions. (6,7)
Food unsuitable for young children and babies. Evidence submitted to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration found that food was sometimes too spicy or otherwise inappropriate for children and infants. Some organisations reported children “failing to thrive” and families relying on food banks to supplement the hotel meals. (1)
Children reported as “crying with hunger”. Research into food provision for people seeking asylum in London documented reports of children crying from hunger, alongside cases of food poisoning, weight loss and malnutrition linked to poor-quality food supplied by Home Office contractors. (3)
High volume of complaints about food. Freedom of Information data obtained by The Guardian found hundreds of complaints about meals provided in asylum accommodation in a single year, including reports of inedible food and insufficient milk for children. The Home Office stated that meals are required to meet NHS Eatwell standards and that complaints are investigated. (4)

Examples of reported impacts on children

A child living in an asylum hotel reportedly lost 4 kg while living there.
Health professionals reported children becoming dangerously thin and requiring regular weighing.
GPs documented concerns that children were not growing as expected because of inadequate nutrition.
Organisations reported children failing to thrive because food was unsuitable for their age and nutritional needs.

Overall conclusion

While the Home Office states that food provided in asylum hotels should meet NHS nutritional standards, multiple independent reports from clinicians, charities and researchers have documented recurring concerns that some children living in these hotels receive diets that are nutritionally inadequate, contributing to weight loss, poor growth and, in some cases, clinically confirmed malnutrition.

References

19^th May 2022, Byline Times. “Asylum Seekers Held in Hotels Struggling with Food-Related Poor Health, Report Finds
17^th June 2023, The Guardian. Children in England’s asylum hotels suffering from malnutrition.
12 March 2024, The Guardian. “Food Experiences of People Seeking Asylum in London: Areas for Local Action.
3^rd June 2024, The Guardian. Asylum seekers report widespread abuse in Home Office accommodation
17^th June 2023, The Guardian. Children in England’s asylum hotels suffering from malnutrition.
June 2024, Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid. Suffering & Squalor.
24^th June 2024, Electronic Immigration Network. Use of hotels as long-term asylum accommodation damages health and wellbeing, new report finds

Sue Balmer, Happy Baby Community, 6^th July 2026