Sainsbury’s is to reintroduce its Healthy Start top-up for low-income families with young children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with users of the scheme eligible to apply for an additional £3 a week towards fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses for six weeks.
The scheme, which was set up by the Labour government 20 years ago, looks to support low-income families with young children across the UK to buy more healthy food through a free pre-paid Healthy Start card that is automatically topped up with money every four weeks.
Sainsbury’s first trialled a top-up to Healthy Start in 2021 before the scheme transitioned to a prepaid card format. Analysis by Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, in partnership with IGD, found that during this trial, Sainsbury’s customers redeeming a top-up coupon purchased an average of 13 more portions of fruit and vegetables per basket compared to those that didn’t.
The latest initiative, which makes Sainsbury’s the first retailer to offer additional support since the scheme’s digital transition in 2022, will see eligible customers able to sign up to receive a £3 e-gift card by email each week for six weeks from 18 November.
It can be used in-store and online and can be spent on fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses, including fresh, frozen, tinned and dried products. Registrations for the scheme must be made by 11:59pm on 9 November 2026.
“We know our customers want to get more fresh fruit, vegetables and fibre into family mealtimes,” said Sainsbury’s head of healthy and sustainable diets Nilani Srithran. “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.”
The Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor added: “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.”
In September, Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts told The Grocer Health Summit “health and wellbeing have to be at the very core of how we think and what we’re doing for customers”.
He outlined that the food industry and government must have clear priorities: to deliver healthier outcomes, better food resilience and give customers more of what they want in an accessible and affordable place.
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