UK: Tesco Kickstarts “Healthy Choices” Campaign

02 May 2017 --- UK supermarket Tesco has launched a campaign to help customers make healthier purchasing decisions, as part of the retailer's drive to support healthy choices, cut sugar, fat and salt across of range of products and lower the price of fresh produce as well as promote fruit and vegetables at the checkout.

The ‘Little Helps to Healthier Living’ campaign, running throughout May, is the latest drive from the retail giant geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle - and it follows a catalogue of moves by the supermarket chain to encourage shoppers to swap unhealthy products for healthier alternatives. 

Tesco has already removed over 8,000 tons of sugar, fat and salt across a range of 2,000 products including breakfast cereals, yogurts, and ready meals through the ongoing reformulation of its own label products.

Under the campaign for May, UK stores will offer helpful ‘little swaps’, many of which have lower sugar, fat or salt than the regular alternatives; lower prices on hundreds of fresh products in store and online, including fruit and vegetables such as apples, avocados, bananas and, tomatoes; the introduction of fresh fruit at the checkout so customers can easily add a piece to their shopping.

On top of that, there will be TV advertising (Food Love Stories brought to you by Tesco) and other paid for media to encourage people to make swaps and use healthier ingredients, increased communication of Free Fruit for Kids in Tesco’s larger stores and in store health checks in partnership with Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation.

Tesco was the first major supermarket to comply with the UK government’s sugar levy across all its own label soft drinks. Last summer, Tesco introduced its Free Fruit for Kids initiative, and in 2014, Tesco committed to removing sweets and chocolates off its checkouts, in all its stores.

The supermarket will be working with its three health charity partners, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK throughout the campaign.

Tesco will also be offering customers free diabetes risk assessments and blood pressure check-ups in 375 Tesco pharmacies, and will be supporting 330 Race for Life events across the UK in partnership with Cancer Research UK. 

“Our ‘Little Helps to Healthier Living’ campaign marks the first time we’ve brought together such a comprehensive program of offers and initiatives for both customers and colleagues,” says Matt Davies CEO for UK and ROI.

“With millions of customers across the UK shopping with us every week and more than 300,000 colleagues working in our stores, centers and offices, we have a unique opportunity to help people make healthier choices.”

“We know there is still more to do, but hope these little helps make a difference, and we will learn from this month to see what really serves our customers better.”