Tesco Expands Free Fruit Drive As Families Aim For A Healthier Start To 2026

Tesco is stepping up efforts to support healthier eating habits as families head into the new year, relaunching its “Less to Pay for 5-a-Day” campaign alongside a nationwide free fruit initiative for children.

Image courtesy of Tesco

From 30 December 2025 to 13 January 2026, children shopping with their families will once again be able to collect free apples at the checkout across more than 800 large Tesco stores. The supermarket will also extend the offer to Click & Collect customers at 119 sites, ensuring families using online services don’t miss out.

All the apples will be British-grown, sourced from six UK suppliers — a move that not only champions home-grown produce but also strengthens support for domestic growers during the quieter winter trading period.

Tesco anticipates distributing over three million apples during the two-week campaign.

The initiative builds on the retailer’s expanding Fruit & Veg for Schools programme, which supported around 140,000 pupils during the last academic year, delivering more than 10 million portions of fresh produce to children nationwide.

Despite increased attention on healthy eating, government data still highlights a challenge: fewer than one in ten children, and only one in five adults, currently meet the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake. Tesco says its latest push forms part of a broader effort to make nutritious choices easier and more affordable for households feeling the squeeze.

The free fruit offer is just one strand of Tesco’s wider healthy food campaign, running throughout January both in-store and online, offering guidance, promotions and recipe inspiration.

Earlier in the year, Tesco partnered with the British Nutrition Foundation to conduct regional consultations, speaking directly with communities about barriers to healthy eating.

Many families cited a lack of inspiration, limited accessibility and uncertainty in the kitchen as key obstacles — particularly for young people.

Tesco’s campaign aims to tackle those challenges head-on, using simple incentives such as free fresh fruit to nudge healthier everyday choices.