Southern Co-op has bolstered the value of Healthy Start vouchers to £5.25.
It means families will now have £273 to spend a year in its stores, including the £52 top-up from Southern Co-op.
For families that claim two vouchers, they could get £10.50 per week, or £546 over 12 months.
Its move comes after the government increased payments from a base level of £3.10 to £4.25 on 1 April.
Healthy Start vouchers provide additional support for families on lower incomes with children under four or pregnant women in order to access healthy foods.
The vouchers can be used for fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried or tinned pulses, cow’s milk and certain infant formula.
Once families have received their vouchers, they need to present them at the till when buying any eligible food items at a Southern Co-op store and the value will automatically be topped up to £5.25.
The convenience retailer’s 201-store estate spans Berkshire, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent, the Isle of Wight, Somerset, Sussex and Wiltshire.
“It breaks my heart to know 4.28 million children in the UK were living in poverty last year, according to data published by the Department for Work and Pensions,” said Southern Co-op community and campaign co-ordinator Holly Bramble.
“Poverty and food inequality are issues we have been working on with our communities through food donations, our Feed a Family Fund, and other financial support. But whilst there are children still going hungry, more needs to be done.”
Southern Co-op COO for retail Simon Eastwood said: “We welcomed the government’s move in April to increase the value of its Healthy Start vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25. We hope our extra £1 uplift will make even more of a difference.
“We are firm believers in being a responsible business and supporting our local communities where we can. I am proud we are supporting such a valuable initiative which will mean children across the south can access fresh fruit or frozen veg which should be a staple of everyone’s diet.”
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