Tesco has announced the return of a popular initiative for shoppers, starting this week. With many individuals making New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier, Tesco is launching the ‘Less To Pay For Five-a-Day’ campaign to support families nationwide in consuming more fruits and vegetables as they kick off 2026.
The supermarket is dedicated to assisting families in embracing healthier eating habits, and from December 30, 2025, to January 13, 2026, children accompanying their families can once again receive complimentary apples at checkouts in over 800 large Tesco stores. Additionally, Click and Collect customers at 119 large Tesco stores will also be offered free apples for their children, sourced from various UK suppliers to promote local produce.
Tesco’s UK CEO, Ashwin Prasad, emphasized the company’s commitment to making healthy choices more accessible and affordable for customers. Apart from providing free fruit to children, Tesco is introducing new promotions, Clubcard Challenges, and fresh online recipes to encourage children to reach their daily fruit and vegetable intake and make healthy eating enjoyable for everyone.
During the two-week period, Tesco anticipates giving away more than three million apples, expanding on its Fruit and Veg for Schools program, which has already supported approximately 140,000 children with over 10 million portions of fruits and vegetables in the previous academic year.
Statistics from the government reveal that less than one in ten children and one in five adults meet the recommended daily intake of five servings of fruits and vegetables. Through consultations conducted across communities in the UK, Tesco aims to simplify and reduce the cost of healthy eating for all households.
In addition to the free fruits and vegetables, Tesco is promoting healthier food choices through various initiatives in stores and online throughout January. Customers will have the opportunity to earn Clubcard points by participating in Clubcard Challenges focused on purchasing fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, beans, pulses, canned fruits and vegetables, and dried fruits.
New Clubcard Prices and offers on fruits and vegetables, along with weekly Fresh Five deals on five-a-day essentials, will be available. The Tesco Real Food website will feature a revamped five-a-day hub with recipe ideas and inspiration, while the January edition of the Tesco Magazine will showcase five-a-day recipes to inspire readers. Social media platforms will also be utilized to share healthy food content, highlighting products such as apples, oranges, lettuce, avocados, peas, sweet corn, and mixed vegetables.
Earlier this year, Tesco collaborated with the British Nutrition Foundation to conduct regional health consultations to identify the challenges faced by local communities in the UK regarding healthy eating. The findings indicated that inspiration, accessibility, and cooking confidence were significant barriers, particularly for families and young individuals.