Lidl to help families in need and top up government food vouchers from January

Virgin Radio

18 Dec 2020, 14:34

Good old Lidl. The supermarket are putting their hands in their pockets and digging deep by adding to the government’s weekly Healthy Start vouchers. The supermarket will be adding an extra £1.15 from the current £3.10 that’s on offer, taking it up to £4.25 from 4th January. 

The government have planned to increase the vouchers with the same amount from April 2021 following the work of footballer Marcus Rashford who campaigned for an increase to help families on the breadline.

Lidl are flying the flag as the first supermarket to make the positive change, investing up to £1million between January and the government’s planned increase in April 2021. 

The vouchers are there to assist families or individuals who are struggling with money and unable to maintain a healthy, balanced diet because of this.

The aim is to ensure all households have the right amount of fruit, vegetables and milk, or can be used for vitamins.

The vouchers are available for pregnant women at least 10 weeks, or those with children under four on income support or benefits, or if you are pregnant and under 18. 

Lidl GB CEO, Christian Härtnagel, said: “At Lidl, we know that it has been a challenging year for families and budgets are tight.

“We all have a role to play within the community and we are committed to helping these families in any way we can.

“This is why we have decided to bring forward the planned increase to the value of the Healthy Start vouchers across all our stores in England and Wales.”

Footballing campaigner Marcus Rashford said: “I’m delighted that Lidl has made such a positive move and committed to increasing the value of Healthy Start vouchers.

“This was one of our Taskforce’s key asks and will make a huge difference to the most vulnerable people in our communities.”