Food shopping benefits criteria extend in Scotland

Changes to a Scottish Government benefit will see an estimated 20,000 people able to access money to help with the cost of food shopping from today.

Rule changes around eligibility for Best Start Foods have come into force extending eligibility by making it easier to qualify.

Best Start Foods is money every four weeks to help pay for healthy food from pregnancy until a child turns three.

It’s delivered on a pre-paid chip and pin card which can be used in most shops and online.

Before the changes which come into force today, it was paid to people who receive qualifying benefits as long as their incomes did not pass certain limits.

Those income thresholds have now been removed which means more people can successfully apply for a card.

Other rule changes have made it simpler for eligible young parents to receive the benefit.

Brenda Black, chief executive officer of charity Edinburgh Community Food, said she welcomed these "positive changes."

“The importance of nourishing food for both mother-to-be and infant cannot be overstated: the first 1000 days of a child’s life are crucial for growth, development, and long-term health," she said.

“Edinburgh Community Food's team of skilled nutritionists promotes Best Start Foods' within our communities," she said, "to improve and sustain the health and wellbeing of future generations of Scots.”