Free books of vouchers worth £50 each will be handed out to families in England as part of a health initiative by the government. Change4Life, the government’s health initiative has been launched to help families improve their fitness levels and make healthy changes to their diet. As obesity levels, including child obesity have risen the government are trying to encourage families to live a healthier lifestyle.
£250 million worth of free vouchers will be handed out, with four million voucher books being given out by Asda supermarkets and the News of the World newspaper. One million will be distributed by local companies who are taking part in the health initiative. The voucher books will offer money off activities and healthy foods, as well as Change4Life offering recipes and advice regarding nutrition to parents and carers.
Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary said:
This is a very exciting initiative. It’s a great example of how government, the media, industry and retailers can work together to help families to be healthy.
Mr Lansley acknowledges that the healthy options are not always affordable, which is why the government are offering the vouchers to help people buy healthy alternatives to junk food. Many large companies are backing the scheme, including Kellogg’s, Nestle and Unilever. The website for Change4Life includes advice for adults and children which includes kid’s exercise programmes, healthy food swaps and how to make healthy changes in your lifestyle.
It remains to be seen whether families will welcome the initiative which has been running since 2009, or see this as government interference in personal choice. As the levels of obesity are rising and the lives of children are being affected by health issues as a result of being overweight, the government have launched an initiative which offers the opportunity to improve health. Surely this is a step in the right direction for us all.
as usual all flannel and no substance
Comment by Neil William Guest — January 2, 2011 @ 7:11 pm
The website that you have to enter your details on to get the vouchers has had problems all day i have just about set up an account but as yet i have not completed the questions.
trust others have had the same issues, i i also assume that the dedicated few will get the vouchers those on school meals and state help.
Comment by richard — January 2, 2011 @ 7:46 pm
It would be great if the website was actually working – when you try to join up you simply get a server application error!
Comment by Sally — January 2, 2011 @ 9:27 pm
any help is better than no help
Comment by john — January 2, 2011 @ 10:16 pm
I live in selby we dont have a asda and i dont have a car so how the hell can i gat these vouchers and use them i am 18 stone and for the past 4 years have been telling the doctor i have tryed every think to loss weight but i have not tryed not eatting yet i would love to loss 4 stone please help me
Comment by Ian burton — January 2, 2011 @ 11:31 pm
Visit the website, fill out the information, which is analysed then sold on to a marketing company who are behind the website, with links to other marketing companies, including advertisers saachi, etc
It’s a complete contradiction to have asda of all companies promoting and using these vouchers…. no doubt their prices will rise as more vouchers are used in their stores, on things like apples – which are covered in gas waxes, grown abroad to avoid our food laws, with chemicals not permitted in europe/uk , then shipped across the world, causing damage to the air we breathe and then stored for months. by the time a healthy voucher is produced at an asda store for some of the said apples, the fruit are around a year old!
sick of gimmicks, restrict where food can be brought in from, enforce food laws that are already in place but are not being used, then watch the food chain improve for all of us!
Comment by Waste of space — January 11, 2011 @ 3:57 pm