Apples for young customers: Tesco brings back their ‘Free fruit for kids’ scheme

Tesco has announced that it is bringing back its popular initiative ‘Free Fruit for Kids.’ This scheme began on Monday, April 27, which will provide complimentary fruit to young shoppers in the UK.

The five-week programme will extend through May. Shoppers will receive British-grown fresh apples!This comes after the supermarket’s latest research found that just one in 10 children currently consume their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. The retailer is aiming to encourage households across the nation to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption."The scheme builds on Tesco's commitment to making healthier choices easier for families, encouraging children to enjoy fruit as part of their day while shopping with their parents or carers.

By providing access to free fruit beyond term time, Tesco aims to support families during school holidays, when routines change and access to healthy food can be more challenging,” Tesco said.The scheme will run until May 31, and children accompanying their families to the grocery store can collect the complimentary apples at tills in larger Tesco branches. The retailer will maintain this programme throughout school breaks for the remainder of 2026.

The Click and Collect shoppers will also get free apples for their youngsters at more than 100 of Tesco's larger outlets.The retailer will double its ‘Free Fruit and Veg for School’ initiative from September 2026. It will grow from 500 to over 1,000 schools, benefiting more than 388,000 pupils. Shoppers also have the opportunity to contribute to the scheme by making donations, each time they purchase fruits and vegetables at the retailer, until May 24, the Mirror reported."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. Schools have told us what a positive impact the Tesco Free Fruit and Veg for Schools programme has already made, so we're delighted to be able to double the number of schools receiving support from September,” Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said:Elaine Hindal, Chief Executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, added, "A significant number of children in the UK are growing up with diets that don't support their health.

Early food experiences matter, as they can help to shape children's confidence, habits and long-term health outcomes. By helping children enjoy and regularly eat fruit and vegetables from a young age, programmes like Tesco Free Fruit and Veg for Schools can help to make a lasting difference to diet and health now and in the future.

"The new research from Tesco found that only one in 10 British children consume their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables during a typical school day. More than a third (37.5%) of parents reported their child rejects fruit and veggies completely.