Just under half of eligible families not claiming food vouchers in Wiltshire
They can help feed and care for young children
Just under half of families with young children who are eligible to claim food vouchers are not doing so.
New NHS data shows that, in the four weeks to July 18, 1,501 people in Wiltshire were receiving vouchers from the Healthy Start scheme.
They're worth between ÂŁ4.25 and ÂŁ8.50 a week and can be spent on healthy fruit and vegetables, milk or baby formula.
That's just 54% of those identified as eligible.
In a letter published in the British Medical Journal, England player and campaigner Marcus Rashford, a member of the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, urged health professionals to spread the word about the scheme:
"The scheme has proven benefits in improving access to healthy food for pregnant women and children under the age of four.
"More than 40% of those eligible for the vouchers are still not registered for the scheme and I'm confident that the majority of these parents can be found in communities just like mine, where I grew up – no internet, no high street, no word of mouth.
"Long term, sustainable change can only come when communities work towards a common goal.
"No child deserves to be starting life 20 yards behind any other from the day they are born, just because of where they are born and the circumstances they are born into."
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said the Government is committed to ensuring every child receives the best possible start in life.
He added an online application form is being developed as an alternative to the current postal system and will be introduced along with a payment card to replace paper vouchers.