UK: Over 800 Tesco stores offer kids free fruits

British retail chain Tesco is giving away free apples, soft citrus, or bananas to children while their parents are shopping in one of more than 800 stores participating in its latest health drive.

The initiative, according to company release, aims to promote healthy eating habits among kids and make it easier for them to achieve the nutrition experts’ recommendation of consuming at least five portions of fruits or vegetables a day.

The campaign has been lauded by health advocates.

“A healthy diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, the UK’s single biggest killer. It also prevents you from gaining weight, reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure,” said Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation.

“Unhealthy diets and being overweight can lead to serious health conditions like Type 2 diabetes which is largely preventable by eating well and getting active. We welcome Tesco’s ongoing commitment to making the healthy choice easier for all their customers,” said Helen Dickens, Diabetes UK Interim Director of Prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

The idea behind the initiative started in a Lincolnshire store after Maria Simpson, a Tesco checkout staff, suggested giving free fruit to parents for their children to eat during shopping trips as an alternative to sweets. It was so well received that they decided to introduce it in Scotland to test if it would work in a bigger scale.

Tesco has continuously launched health initiatives over the years including last year’s move to reduce the amount of sugar from children’s lunchbox-sized soft drinks it sells. It also became the first major retailer to remove sweets and chocolates from its checkouts across all store formats, including smaller convenience stores.