Sainsbury's Reintroduces Healthy Start Top-Up for Low-Income Families

Sainsbury's is reintroducing its Healthy Start top-up scheme to provide additional financial support to low-income families in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Eligible families who register by November 9 will receive a £3 eGift card weekly for six weeks, totaling £18. These funds are restricted to the purchase of fruit, vegetables, beans, and pulses.

The initiative complements the existing National Health Service Healthy Start prepaid card system. Weekly eGift cards will be distributed starting November 18. The decision to bring back the scheme follows a 2021 trial analyzed by the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics and IGD, which found that top-up coupons increased the average purchase of fruit and vegetables by 13 portions per basket.

Nilani Srithran, head of healthy and sustainable diets at Sainsbury's, stated the company is bringing back the support because family budgets face additional pressures in the run-up to Christmas. Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety, endorsed the move and encouraged other retailers to follow the company's lead to help more families put healthy food on the table.