Sainsbury's has become the first UK supermarket to offer a £3 weekly Healthy Start top-up, providing extra support for low-income families with young children. The scheme, available to shoppers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will allow eligible customers to apply for an additional £3 a week towards fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses for six weeks.
Scheme details and eligibility
In a Tuesday (October 20) announcement, Sainsbury's confirmed it is the first retailer to offer the initiative. Those who qualify can sign up to receive a £3 eGift card via email each week for six weeks from 18 November, redeemable both in store and online.
Support for families and industry response
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." She added that a previous top-up trial helped customers buy an average of 13 more portions of fruit and veg per basket, and the new scheme is being brought back "in the run-up to Christmas, when family budgets can face additional pressures."
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety, expressed support, stating: "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." She encouraged other retailers to follow Sainsbury's lead.
Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, welcomed the move, saying: "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." She noted that the scheme reaches the most disadvantaged babies and toddlers but argued it should be urgently expanded.
