Free apples for children at over 800 Tesco stores this will help tackle hunger during the school holidays
Children will this summer be able to pick up free apples at checkouts in more than 800 large Tesco stores and 77 of its large Express stores.
The initiative, which runs from 20 July to 30 August, will also see Click & Collect customers being given free apples for their children at selected stores.
Originally launching in 2016 as a healthier alternative to sweets at checkouts, the giveaway returns as millions of children are expected to face holiday hunger during the summer school break when free school meals are unavailable.
It forms part of the supermarket’s ambition to help one million school children across the UK access free fruit and vegetables through Tesco school and community programmes by July 2029.
The announcement comes as demand for food support continues to rise. A recent survey carried out by Felix, the new name for merged charities FareShare and The Felix Project found 41 per cent of local charities receiving food via its nationwide food redistribution network have experienced an increase in demand in the last 12 months.
The return of the initiative also builds on Tesco’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme which supports over 500 schools during term time, and aims to encourage healthier eating habits from an early age by providing free fruit and veg during the school day.
The supermarket is also continuing a range of other family support initiatives over the school holidays, such as selling pre-filled donation bags, offering customers the opportunity to round up at the till for charity and the Kids Eat Free offer in Tesco cafés.
