Tesco has relaunched its Free Fruit for Kids in Store offer, giving children free fruit for five weeks to help them reach their five-a-day. The scheme starts today, April 27, and runs until May 31, continuing across school holidays for the rest of 2026.
According to research by Censuswide, only one in 10 primary school children in the UK currently eat their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The supermarket, with more than 2,800 stores, aims to address this by providing free fruit in stores and expanding its school programme.
Tesco's Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme currently funds over 500 schools with higher-than-average free school meal eligibility. From September, Tesco will double the programme to more than 1,000 schools, with plans to double it again the following year. Since launching in 2024, the programme has reached over 188,000 children, with pupils consuming more than 15 million portions of fruit and vegetables in its first year.
Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: “We’ve set out an ambition to help one million children get free fruit and veg through our school and community programmes, supporting the development of healthy habits.”
Additionally, between April 27 and May 24, Tesco will donate one penny per fresh fruit, vegetable and salad product sold in UK stores and online, up to a maximum of £2.7 million. Customers can also vote in store for Fruit & Veg Grants via the blue token scheme. A nationwide competition, the Giant Fruit and Veg Challenge, invites children to submit recipes, with the winner receiving a school visit from JLS's JB Gill and having their dish served in school canteens.
