Ways we are helping customers to make healthy and sustainable choices

1. Helping to make over a third (40%) of the diet fruit and vegetables

   A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the cornerstone of healthy eating and we are committed to helping our customers increase their consumption in line with dietary recommendations
   • To help track our progress we recently updated our Peas Please Pledge to report on the proportion of our total food sales that come from vegetables. We also report on the number of vegetable portions sold from our own brand products and we will continually do this going forward.

     Over 4.4 billion portions of vegetables sold from own brand products. 12% of total volume sales from vegetables

     ^{*data amended for period pre-lockdown for 19/20 Peas Please Reporting Period}
   • Making fruit and veg more affordableWe see that most customers generally buy within a narrow range of their chosen fruit and vegetables every week. So to help encourage customers to increase their repertoire of fruit and veg and to try something new, in January 2020 & 2021, we discounted a range of less commonly purchased fruit and vegetables to just 60p, providing our customers with the value and the encouragement to try something new.
     

     

   • We also have entry price point ranges of 'Imperfectly Tasty' and 'Greengrocer' fruit and vegetables, ensuring that fresh fruit & veg is accessible to all customers.
   • Using technology and incentives to encourage higher intakes of fruit and veg
     In 2020 we launched the first ever Great Big Fruit & Veg Challenge to encourage and reward our customers for buying more fruit & veg. Customers could opt into the challenge through their Nectar app and were rewarded with Nectar points for achieving personalised targets for their fruit & veg purchases. Over 450,000 customers signed up to take the challenge and a whopping 52.5 million portions of fruit and veg were purchased by participating customers during the 4 week challenge. We will run this challenge again in June 2021.
     Analysis conducted in partnership with the Leeds institute for Data Analytics and School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds suggested that Nectar card holders who took part in the challenge took home an extra 3.6 portions of fruit and veg per week during the challenge. Interestingly, in the weeks after the challenge those who participated continued to purchase more vegetables, with weekly portions up by 2.7 portions compared to the pre-challenge period
     
     

     

   • We know it is particularly important that we do our bit to encourage our youngest customers on their journey to developing healthy eating habits. That is why we are particularly proud that our Little One’s range was awarded the 2020 Peas Please Prize for Innovation in recognition of our vegetable first taste products and the fact all our Little One’s tray meals contain at least 2 of your 5 a day.

     

   • In February 2021, we topped up Healthy Start vouchers with a £2 fruit and vegetable coupons, to help families in need have access to nutritious produce through half term and summer. Healthy Start vouchers are provided by the Government to low-income pregnant women and families with a child under the age of four. The scheme provides eligible families with a voucher worth £4.25 to spend on cows’ milk, infant formula milk, fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables as well fresh, dried and tinned pulses with no added fat, sugar and salt.

     

     Marcus Rashford, MBE also commented: “When forming the Child Food Poverty Taskforce, there was an overwhelmingly strong appetite from the food industry to play an active role in combating child food poverty across the UK. I am really proud of the commitment members such as Sainsbury’s have shown in recent months to achieve this. Childhood development is a key focus, making sure nutritional needs are met to support growth, and overall health. My greatest ambition is to see children starting life on an equal playing field, regardless of the area they grow up in. This top-up is a step in the right direction and will make a big difference in guaranteeing children get everything they need to conquer daily challenges.”

     In 2019, we partnered with Disney to run a national Collectibles Campaign to incentivise the purchase of healthier products. Customers received a pack of Disney collectible cards with every £10 spent, and an additional set of cards when they purchased healthier items including mini fruits. Sales of promotional fruits increased by more than 250% during the trial period and was especially popular with families with young children.

     

      

2. Making around a third of the plate (38%) starchy carbohydrates (preferably wholegrain or higher fibre options)

   
   The Eatwell Guide recommends that just over a third of the diet should be made up of starchy carbohydrates – particularly wholegrain and higher fibre varieties. Around 26% of our average basket comes from carbohydrate containing foods and we believe we can do more to encourage healthy carbohydrates as part of our commitment to helping our customers eat better.
   • We have started to monitor the total amount of fibre contributed by the carbohydrates we sell. In 19/20 our carbohydrate foods delivered over 22,500 tonnes of fibre and just over 29% of our carbohydrate foods could be considered ‘high in fibre’.
   • In collaboration with the Consumer Goods Forum, we have trialled ways to help customers make healthier choices, including placing higher fibre cereals at eye level and less healthy products on the top shelf away from children’s eye level. Changing the choice architecture in this way was believed to help reduce pester power faced by parents’ shopping with their children. However, the trial found that positional changes within aisle didn’t result in customers choosing healthier products, so we continue to trial other initiatives. More information about the trials can be found here.

3. Eating two portions of sustainably sourced fish per week, one of which is oily

   
   The UK government advise two servings of fish a week – one of which should be oily. We promote this message via the ‘eat 2’ logo on the packaging of fish products.

   

   
   
   • 100% of our farmed seafood is independently certified as sustainable. 76% of our wild caught fish are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and we are working to increase that figure through fisheries improvement and ongoing supplier engagement.
   • 2020 marks the 12th anniversary of the launch of our responsibly sourced Scottish farmed salmon which is reared exclusively on RSPCA Assured farms on the West Coast and Islands of Scotland and is fed a diet specifically formulated to ensure our fresh salmon is high in healthy long chain omega 3’s.

4. More plants and plant-based proteins

   • We have developed a delicious selection of foods based on vegetables and plant proteins. Our Love your Veg! range offers main course vegetable meals and our vegan Plant Pioneers range provides innovative and delicious plant-based options – outperforming the market for meat-alternative products. We are continuing to expand this range with 6 new product launches for summer 2021.
   • In September 2020, we increased our in store space allocated to fresh plant-based ranges by 40% to continue to increase the availability of these products.
   • We offer 228 plain nut, seed and pulse products to suit customers looking for healthy snacking, or as a way of adding protein and taste to cereals and salads. These are alongside many other plant protein foods: beans, peas and lentils; dried, canned, chilled or frozen…plant proteins can be quick and easy choices.

5. Reformulating to make products healthier

   • Our ongoing development programme ensures we continue to improve the nutrient profile of our products while making sure we never compromise on quality or taste for our customers.
   • We have been committed to reducing salt, sugar and saturated fat for a number of years and some key highlights include:
     • Achieved over 20 per cent sugar tonnage reduction since 2015, from categories contributing most to children’s sugar intake
     • 84% of our own brand products meet the 2024 maximum PHE salt targets
     • 93% of our own brand products meet the PHE maximum calorie per portion target

As a few examples, since 2015 we have reformulated the following products:

Our communications launch

Over the course of the next couple of months, we'll be talking about how certain fruits and vegetables are good for you and have environmental benefits too, and even giving you exciting recipes to use them in.

Broccoli

This green hero is not just a source of energy boosting vitamin C, its roots also boost the health of the soil as it grows. Broccoli is source of C which contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism. More info about how the roots boost the health of the soil as it grows can be found: here.

Kale

This unsung hero doesn’t just help keep your bones healthy, its roots also help keep the soil healthy as it grows too. Kale is a source of calcium which is needed for maintenance of normal bones. More info about how the roots boost the health of the soil as it grows can be found here.

Peas

Not just packed full of protein, they also help nourish the soil as they grow too. Peas are high in protein. More info about how peas nourish soil can be found here.

Strawberries

Strawberries. They don’t just help keep your brain healthy, when they’re British grown, they also don’t have to travel far. 7 strawberries provide 1 of your 5 a day and are a source of folic acid. Folate maintains normal psychological function.

Beetroot

Doesn’t just help maintain normal blood pressure, it’s also used in crop rotations which can help keep soil healthy. Beetroot is a source of potassium which contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure. More info about how the crop rotation keeps the soil healthy can be found here.