Healthy Start, which supports more than half a million pregnant women and low-income families by giving them vouchers to spend on fresh fruit, vegetables and milk, has been extended to frozen food.
The vouchers can now be used to purchase produce such as frozen peas, spinach, carrots and berries. Frozen goods with added fat, oil, salt and sugar, as well as ready-meals, are excluded.
The move follows a UK-wide consultation that found 90 per cent of respondents were in favour of adding frozen fruit and vegetables to the scheme.
Health secretary Andrew Lansley said, 'Feeding a family on a limited budget can be a challenge. The addition of frozen fruit and vegetables is a boost to the Healthy Start scheme to help low-income families eat more healthily.
'Plain frozen fruit and vegetables count towards your five a day. Frozen goods are often cheaper than fresh goods and can last longer, so there is less waste.'
