Healthy Start: Opportunities for local Food Businesses

Bury Food Partnership is leading Healthy Start across Bury and encouraging business to support and promote the campaign.

Bury Food Partnership has for four years been a collaboration of positive, proactive partners interested in healthier and sustainable food.  The Sustainable Food Places Silver Award has been awarded to Bury this year. The Partnership continues to expand work across all aspects of the food system.

Healthy Start is one of the few nutritional safety nets available. It provides beneficiaries with a prepaid card to buy fruit, vegetables, milk, and infant formula. Promoting the scheme has twofold benefit:

• Supporting access to local and quality produce for families
• Supporting the local food economy through being directly redeemable with small local businesses

Bury Market traders have accepted Healthy Start cards in exchange for their produce since 2023. Feedback from participating traders has been very positive. Bury Food Partnership continues to promote this uptake through its members. Therefore they hope that other business can support this important scheme.

Any retailer can accept Healthy Start card payments for example if the store accepts Mastercard® and sells eligible healthy food and milk items.

You do not need to register to be part of the scheme, and retailers are not responsible for checking what people buy with their card.

In addition if you wish to help promote the scheme in your business, please contact Max Mahon M.Mahon@bury.gov.uk. You can request Digital Bury Healthy Start artwork, social media posts, or printed leaflets.

You can get involved with the Bury Food Partnership. Email BuryFoodPartnership@bury.gov.uk