Sainsbury's has announced a support scheme to help low-income families buy nutritious food ahead of Christmas. Families enrolled in the government's NHS Healthy Start scheme can apply to receive an additional £3 per week for six weeks, totalling up to £18 in extra support.
Scheme details and eligibility
Sainsbury's says it is the first retailer to offer additional funding to the scheme since the NHS transitioned to a prepaid card format in 2022. Registered customers will receive a £3 eGift card by email each week for six weeks, starting on November 18, 2026.
The vouchers can be used in store or online for fresh, frozen, tinned, and dried fruit, vegetables, beans, and pulses. Each eGift card must be used within seven days of receipt.
Applicants must have shopped at Sainsbury's within the last 12 months. They must also have used both their Healthy Start Mastercard and a Nectar card in the same transaction. Eligible customers must register online before 11.59pm on November 9, 2026.
Previous trial results
Sainsbury's ran a top-up trial of the scheme back in 2021. Analysis showed that customers receiving the extra funding purchased an average of 13 additional portions of fruit and vegetables per basket.
Sainsbury's Head of Healthy and Sustainable Diets, Nilani Srithran, said: "We know our customers want to get more fresh fruit, vegetables and fibre into family mealtimes. We've seen the difference extra support can make for families on Healthy Start, with our previous top-up trial helping customers buy an average of 13 more portions of fruit and veg per basket."
"That's why we're bringing back our £3 weekly top-up in the run-up to Christmas, when family budgets can face additional pressures. I'd encourage everyone on the Healthy Start scheme to find out more."
Government and charity response
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety, said: "Every child deserves the best possible start in life. That's exactly why Healthy Start matters so much to this government, helping families to put healthy food on the table. I'm delighted to see Sainsbury's bring back this additional support and I encourage other retailers to follow their lead so even more families can benefit."
Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, said: "It's great to see Sainsbury's adding such a generous top up to Healthy Start, and being the first mover in what we hope will be industry wide support to those on the scheme. This scheme reaches the most disadvantaged babies and toddlers in the country - and provides a vital nutritional safety net - but too many miss out on its benefits currently which is why we think the scheme should be urgently expanded."
The move forms part of Sainsbury's wider ambition, announced in June, to add thousands of tonnes of fibre and millions more portions of fruit and vegetables to UK diets. This year, Sainsbury's has also launched new Full on Fibre labelling across its products.
