Sainsbury's has announced it will become the first UK supermarket to roll out a £3 offer for customers, introducing a new scheme to benefit low-income families with young children. The Healthy Start top-up initiative is making a return.
The scheme, available to shoppers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will allow eligible customers to apply for an additional £3 per week towards fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses over a six-week period.
How the Healthy Start scheme works
NHS Healthy Start is a government scheme that supports low-income families with young children across the UK to buy more healthy food through a free prepaid Healthy Start card that is automatically topped up with money every four weeks.
Sainsbury's confirmed in a statement on Tuesday October 20 that it is the first retailer to offer the initiative. Those who qualify can register to receive a £3 eGift card via email each week for six weeks from Wednesday November 18, redeemable both in store and online.
Extra support in the run-up to Christmas
Eligible people will receive up to an extra £18 to spend in the run up to Christmas as part of the supermarket's goal to add thousands of tonnes of fibre and millions more portions of fruit and vegetables to UK diets.
Nilani Srithran, Sainsbury's head of healthy and sustainable diets, 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."
If you have shopped at Sainsbury's in the last 12 months using your Healthy Start Mastercard, together with your Nectar card, you should be eligible to apply.
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, 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."
