NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 06:08 ET
- Tesco will offer free British-grown apples to children at checkouts in more than 800 large UK stores through Jan. 13
- Click and Collect customers at 119 large stores are also included; Tesco expects to hand out more than 3 million apples
- A UK diet survey found only 9% of 11- to 18-year-olds and 17% of adults meet the “5 A Day” fruit-and-veg goal
Tesco will give free British-grown apples to children at the checkout in more than 800 large UK stores from Dec. 30 to Jan. 13 under its “Less to pay for 5-a-day” campaign, the retailer said on Tuesday. It expects to hand out more than 3 million apples sourced from six UK suppliers, extend the offer to families using its Click and Collect pickup service at 119 large stores, and run “Clubcard Challenges” from Jan. 12 to Feb. 22 to reward purchases of fruit and vegetables, beans and pulses, canned products and dried fruit. “We’re committed to making healthy choices easier, quicker and better value for our customers,” said Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s UK chief executive. 1
The move comes as supermarkets ramp up health-focused promotions around the New Year, when shoppers often reassess budgets and diets. Retailers are also leaning harder on loyalty programmes to keep customers from drifting to rivals.
UK government data show consumers still fall well short of the target. In a National Diet and Nutrition Survey report published in June, only 9% of 11- to 18-year-olds met the “5 A Day” recommendation — at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily — and just 17% of adults did. The report said the drop in consumption may reflect pandemic disruption and cost-of-living pressures. 2
Tesco is also planning extra Clubcard points for selected shoppers buying fruit and vegetables from Jan. 12, alongside discounts on items including apples, oranges, lettuce and avocados, Grocery Gazette reported. The retailer said the campaign builds on its fruit-and-veg-for-schools programme, which helped more than 140,000 children in the 2024–25 academic year. 3
Clubcard is Tesco’s loyalty scheme, offering member-only pricing and points that can be redeemed for vouchers. Click and Collect lets customers order online and pick up groceries at a store.
Britain’s biggest grocer has relied on price matching and heavy Clubcard promotion to hold share against discounter Aldi, while bracing for sharper competition after Asda pledged sustained price cuts. Tesco has previously said it set aside money to deal with what it called a step-up in “competitive intensity.” 4
Free produce at the checkout is one of the simpler ways supermarkets try to encourage healthier baskets without redesigning the whole shop. Tesco’s scheme is aimed at children, a group that government surveys show is least likely to hit daily fruit and vegetable targets.
Rival Marks & Spencer this week unveiled a “Nutrient Dense” food range it said was developed with nutritionists using criteria created in consultation with the British Nutrition Foundation, and will go on sale on Jan. 5. The retailer describes nutrient-dense foods as those that pack more vitamins, minerals and fibre into each calorie, a pitch aimed at shoppers eating less due to age, lifestyle or weight-loss medication. 5
Tesco’s free fruit giveaway runs until Jan. 13, spanning the first fortnight of the New Year. Its Clubcard Challenges are set to start on Jan. 12 and run through Feb. 22.
