NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 12:37 ET
- Tesco will give children free apples in more than 800 large UK stores from Dec. 30 to Jan. 13
- Selected shoppers will get extra Clubcard points and member-only produce discounts from Jan. 12
- Tesco cited UK diet survey data showing fewer than one in five people meet fruit-and-veg targets
Tesco will hand out more than 3 million free apples to children in more than 800 of its large UK stores from Dec. 30, the retailer said. The giveaway is part of a 2026 push that also includes member-only discounts and extra loyalty points for some shoppers buying fruit and vegetables.
The move comes as supermarkets ramp up New Year promotions and try to hold onto shoppers who have become more price-sensitive after years of higher grocery bills. Tesco is pitching the plan as a way to make healthier choices easier at a time when demand for “fresh starts” typically rises.
In Britain, “five-a-day” is shorthand for public-health advice to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Tesco pointed to government diet survey data showing that many people still fall short, especially children. GB News
Tesco said the free fruit will be available for two weeks, running from Dec. 30 through Jan. 13. Boxes of apples will be placed near checkouts and no purchase is required, it said.
Customers using Tesco’s Click & Collect service — online orders collected at a store — will also be able to receive free apples for their children at 119 large locations, the retailer said.
From Jan. 12, selected customers will be able to earn extra Tesco Clubcard points when buying fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, the company said. The offer will also apply to beans, pulses and dried fruit.
Tesco is also introducing new “Clubcard Prices” — member-only discounts — on selected fruit and vegetable products, it said. Items included in the discounts include apples, oranges, lettuce and avocados, alongside frozen products such as peas and sweetcorn. Grocery Gazette+1
Clubcard is Tesco’s loyalty programme, which lets shoppers collect points that can be redeemed for vouchers. Tesco said it will also use “Clubcard Challenges”, a set of promotions designed to reward customers for buying certain products. Grocery Gazette+1
“We’re committed to making healthy choices easier, quicker and better value for our customers,” Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s UK chief executive, said. Grocery Gazette
Tesco said the free-fruit scheme sits at the centre of a broader January health campaign that will run across stores and online. It plans to refresh its online five-a-day recipe hub and push healthy-eating content across social media and other digital channels, it said.
Government figures from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey published in June showed fewer than one in five people in the UK are eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, Tesco said. The same data show only around one in ten children meet their daily fruit-and-veg intake targets.
Tesco said the campaign builds on its fruit-and-veg-for-schools programme, which it said helped more than 140,000 children in the 2024-2025 academic year.
British grocers have leaned on loyalty discounts and sharper pricing to compete for footfall, with rivals such as Sainsbury’s, Asda and Aldi all fighting for value-focused shoppers. Tesco’s New Year push adds a health-focused pitch to that price battle.
The free apples will be available in participating large stores through Jan. 13, with the Clubcard-based points incentive starting on Jan. 12. Tesco said it expects the two-week giveaway alone to put more than 3 million pieces of fruit into children’s hands.
