Our ref: DE00000622686 

 

Dear Ms Morrison,
 
Thank you for your emails of 13 June made under the Freedom of Information Act.  You requested the following:

Please can you tell me how many babies receive free infant formula each year (or the last year when full details were recorded) under the Healthy Start voucher scheme?

Please can you tell me how many babies receive free infant formula each year (or the last year when full details were recorded) under the Nursery Milk scheme?

With regard to the Healthy Start voucher scheme, I advise that the Department does not hold this information.  Women and families receiving Healthy Start vouchers can put them towards the cost of milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables and infant formula milk.  It is their choice which of these products to spend the vouchers on, and retailers are not legally required to report what has been purchased.

The Healthy Start management information shows there are currently around 555,000 individual women and children on the scheme, of whom around 70,000 are children under one year old.  As research suggests that breastfeeding rates are very low among low income families, it would be reasonable to assume that many Healthy Start families with babies under one year old will be spending at least some of their Healthy Start vouchers on infant formula.

Infant formula is included in the scheme because formula is the only safe alternative to breast milk for babies under 12 months old.  Information given through the scheme emphasises the health benefits of breastfeeding and reflects what our research with beneficiaries suggests is the best way to encourage them to breastfeed.  Scheme information materials include images of breastfeeding but not bottle-feeding.

With regard to the Nursery Milk scheme, I also advise that the Department does not hold this information.  However, for the financial year 2010/11 the Department paid out approximately £260k for infant formula.  For 2010/11 the money paid out for infant formula represents approximately 0.5% of the cost to the Department of funding the Nursery Milk scheme.

The Nursery Milk scheme provides a 1/3 of a pint of milk to children who are in childcare for two or more hours a day.  Children receive a drink of cow’s milk or if they are under 12 months old they receive infant formula.

I hope this reply is helpful.  If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review.  Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:

 

Head of the Freedom of Information Team

Department of Health

Room 317

House

79

SW1A 2NS

  

Email: [email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Department.  The ICO can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

 

Sally Kong

Freedom of Information Officer

Department of Health

 

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