Goodrays features in Tesco's new Functional Drinks Lineup

Created by CBD industry expert Eoin Keenan and ex-Diageo taste developers, Goodrays CBD drinks are said to be "a deep breath for your brain."

Three flavours will be appearing on shelf on the new Functional Drinks Bays at Tesco: Namely 4x250ml packs of Raspberry & Guava, Elderflower & Yuzu, and Blood Orange & Grapefruit. 

Science shows to experience the full effects of CBD, a reduction in anxiety, better sleep, less muscle and joint pains, for example, consumers should consume at least 25mg of CBD. 

A market-leading 'dose' of 30mg of premium CBD and a daily dose of Vitamin D, with no added sugars, all-natural ingredients and a fully recyclable, entirely plastic-free product puts this product ahead of the game.

As the only CBD drinks brand currently offeedr, Goodrays plans to support the listing with PR support, in-store education and ongoing marketing activity throughout the partnership.

Said Eoin Keenan Founder of Goodrays: “We design and deliver the most exciting, effective and accessible CBD products to people who desire to improve their mental wellbeing. Our drinks are the most cost-effective way of accessing CBD and Tesco shares our vision in making CBD more affordable and accessible for everyone. We're excited to be part of this new direction for Tesco and expect more  retailers to follow their lead, as wellness continues to be the dominant trend in drinks.”

Goodrays is the UKs fastest-growing CBD brand and second largest brand in the category. It is the top-selling adult soft drink on Amazon with over 1,000 5* reviews. 

https://www.goodrays.uk

 

Britain embracing veg and flexitarianism despite ditching New Year health kicks, reveals Tesco

Over half of people surveyed by Tesco (54%) admitted they usually last two weeks or less with a strict healthy eating resolution. 

However, the research indicates that we Brits don’t need hard rules to stay healthy, as we are in fact a nation of veg lovers, with nearly half (46%) of us eating more vegetables than we did five years ago. 

47% have deliberately chosen to introduce more vegetables to their plates, citing trying to be healthier (82%), saving money (22%) and reducing their impact on the environment (25%) as the main reasons for increasing their intake. Nearly one quarter (24%) are eating more plant-based foods, too.

Increase in sales of versatile veggies

Tesco sales data shows an increase in public appetite for versatile salad veggies such as avocado which has seen a 46% increase in popularity since 2021 and cucumber which has seen an increase of 41%. 

Sales of products such as asparagus, baby corn and leeks have all increased, as have pulse products including tinned chickpeas and lentils, which have soared in popularity since 2021, by 21% and 9% respectively.

Attitudes to veg’s place in a weekly menu has changed dramatically. 45% of people are eating less meat than they did five years ago, with 62% saying they eat no meat at all on two days or more in an average week, showing Britain is embracing a more ‘flexitarian’ way of eating, despite 38% admitting to having never heard the term before.

60% of households eating three or more vegetables with a roast dinner

Nearly three quarters (73%) say that they now eat more greens, with 68% eating more root veg such as carrots and sweet potato, and 62% eating more salad veg such as lettuce and peppers. Even the roast dinner has changed with almost half (48%) saying their roast dinner involves more veg now and 60% saying they serve three or more different types of vegetables with their Sunday roast, or the equivalent family meal. 

A spokesperson for Tesco said: "Tesco is committed to making healthier diets more accessible and we commissioned the research to highlight that we don’t have to make major changes, or set drastic resolutions to live a little better. 

"61% of the UK admitted that when they make a small change to their diet – such as committing to a ‘meat free day’ or adding one or more extra portions of fruit or veg to their plate – they’re more likely to stick to it, rather than a major change such as becoming vegan."

Fruit and veg more accessible through Clubcard Prices and Aldi Price Match

To help customers, Tesco has ‘Better Basket’ zones in stores to signpost better choices at affordable prices, helping shoppers fill their trolley or basket with better choices every time they shop, without it costing them more. 

Tesco also makes fruit and veg more accessible by lowering prices across a selection of fresh produce via Clubcard Prices and the Aldi Price Match scheme. 

Two thirds of products included in Aldi Price Match are healthy, and that’s on top of Fresh 5 giving customers reduced prices on five lines of fresh produce every two weeks. 

Neel Shah, Development Chef at Tesco, said: “Adding veg or pulses to your meals is an affordable way to make them healthier and tastier. Veg is so versatile, whilst pulses such as lentils are an easy and delicious way to pack in nutrients like fibre and protein. Look for the Better Baskets sign in store which make it easy to spot foods containing one of your five a day or are higher in fibre."

Her went on to say: "We’re all looking to eat better, especially in January, when we tend to think more about our diet, but it doesn’t have to be a major change to make an impact. It can be as easy as adding one more variety of veg to your Sunday roast, using sweet potatoes for your mash rather than white potatoes, or adding in celery, carrots and courgettes to your pasta sauce. 

"Using leftover vegetables and cutting them up into small pieces can be a great way to sneak a variety of veggies into recipes like sauces, curries and stews – great for kids as keeping them small they don’t notice. It’s the little things that can make a big difference.”

Lynn Youthed, a Tesco colleague, said:  “Getting the family to eat more veg and pulses can be tricky, but for me it’s about adding them to meals where there’s already lots of flavour, like pasta bakes or curries. That way it’s really easy, doesn’t cost extra, and I don’t need to spend lots of time in the kitchen either. I’ve always got tinned and frozen veg in the house to add to these meals.” 

www.tesco.com

UK’s biggest food collection calls for volunteers to support charities

With food banks and charities facing increasing levels of need this wintertime, people are being urged to give the gift of their time to take part in the UK’s biggest food donation drive.

The Tesco Food Collection is taking place in all Tesco stores from November 30th to December 2nd and the Trussell Trust and FareShare are urging volunteers to sign-up to support the event in store. 

It comes as both charities face their busiest winter yet as more people turn to them for support. The Trussell Trust, which has the largest foodbank network in the UK, is expecting to distribute more than 1 million emergency food parcels between December and February, while FareShare has over 1,500 frontline charities on its waiting list seeking food.

During the collection Tesco customers are to be encouraged to donate long-life food to support the charities in their work. Donations for the Trussell Trust will help its network of food banks provide emergency food parcels to people who cannot afford the essentials, while donations to FareShare will get food to its network of 8,500 local charities and community groups.  

Tesco is calling on volunteers to staff collection points to raise awareness of the impact every donation will have on people across the UK, who rely on Trussell Trust and FareShare for food.

Donations are needed now more than ever, with one in five Trussell Trust food parcels coming from Tesco and its customers. 

Trussell Trust Chief Executive Emma Revie said: “This winter is going to be the toughest yet for the food banks in our network as they will help approximately 600,000 people and provide an emergency parcel every eight seconds. The teams in our food banks are working tirelessly to ensure everyone receives the support they need but they cannot do it alone. 

"By volunteering at the Tesco Winter Food Collection you will not only be helping to gather much-needed donations to keep your local food bank going, you’ll also be making a real difference to families who cannot afford the essentials in your community. If you can spare a few hours to volunteer then please do.”

George Wright, chief executive at FareShare added: “We anticipate need will keep rising as people continue to struggle to afford the essentials like food and heating this winter. Tesco’s support for FareShare throughout the cost of living crisis, and the last 11 years, has been unwavering, and we’re incredibly grateful for their support in helping drive more donations during what will be a difficult winter for many.

“Volunteers play a huge role in the success of the Tesco Food Collection each year. By giving up just three hours of your time, you can make a huge impact by helping more people understand the importance If donating food to FareShare during this increasingly difficult time.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Every year our Winter Food Collection gets such an amazing response from our customers. We know that they give even more generously when we have volunteers in our stores helping them to choose the right items that are needed so we would urge anyone who can to please sign up and help make a difference.” 

You can sign up to volunteer with FareShare at https://fareshare.org.uk/foodcollection/ or with the Trussell Trust at https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/tesco-food-collection/volunteer/ 

Tesco CEO backs petition calling for new offence to protect shop staff

Tesco’s UK CEO has thrown his weight firmly behind a new petition calling on the Government to make violence or abuse against retail workers a standalone criminal offence.

The petition which has been lodged with Parliament recently by a Tesco staff member, calls for lawmakers to act and toughen up the laws protecting shop staff.

It comes amid a rising tide of verbal abuse and physical assaults on retail workers, with Tesco reporting violent incidents against its store workers are up by a third on this time last year and British Retail Consortium figures showing 850 incidents each day of violence and abuse towards British store staff.

Tesco UK CEO Jason Tarry said: “I'm fully behind the petition to make the abuse of retail workers a standalone offence. We want our colleagues to be safe in their workplaces. Creating a standalone offence not only sends a strong message to the small but violent group of people who abuse and attack shopworkers, but also makes it perfectly clear to shopworkers that as a nation we take protecting them seriously. I'd encourage anyone who wants to see retail workers better protected to sign the petition, as every signature will make a difference.”

The petition was started by Jenny Whyte, who works in Tesco convenience stores in the North of England.

“Nobody should come to work afraid they could be assaulted or abused for just doing their job,” she said. “Things have definitely got worse over the past several years, and some of the incidents colleagues have had to deal with are truly shocking. The Government could show it's serious about protecting retail workers on the front line with a specific offence, and I hope this petition will encourage them to do this.”

To tackle the increasing abuse of shopworkers, Tesco has brought in further measures to protect its colleagues, including body cameras colleagues can choose to wear, and new toughened glass safety screens being fitted in over 300 Tesco Express convenience stores and petrol station kiosks.

Thousands of people across Britain have already backed the petition, and if the number of signatories passes 10,000 then the Government will have to respond to it. If it gathers 100,000 signatures it may be debated in Parliament. To sign the petition visit: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/647093

We have already signed the petition.

Tesco and Jamie Oliver team up to create Jamie’s 5 Ingredient Meals, an advertiser funded programme for Channel 4

Tesco and Jamie Oliver are continuing to strengthen their five-year relationship by working together to bring a brand-new advertiser funded series, Jamie’s Five Ingredient Meals, to screens this October. With the ambition to help families get the most out of their weekly shop, making their shopping list shorter and their store cupboard favourites go further.

The 4 x 60” programmes will air at 8pm on Channel 4 from Monday 16th October. Using his bestselling book, Five Ingredients Mediterranean, for inspiration, Jamie will prepare hassle-free dishes that surprise and delight while being easy on the wallet.

With only Five ingredients easily sourced from Tesco, Jamie will show how familiar ingredients from fresh, frozen and store cupboard items can be transformed into recipes ranging from sweet pea orecchiette to a delicious spinach and feta pie.  

The cost per serve of the recipes will start from as little as 50p and the maximum will be £1.70. At least two recipes per show will cost under £1 per serve.

Brand new ‘Tesco idents’ made by Jamie Oliver Productions, will intro and outro each quarter of the show, featuring the mouth-watering 5 Ingredient dishes. The Tesco products being used in each dish will also feature around Jamie’s kitchen. 

In each episode, Jamie is joined by a renowned chef as they share their culinary heritage and influences. In episode one, Jamie is joined by renowned Spanish chef Jose Pizarro and in later episodes he is joined by Alex Ainouz, Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer, as well as Jamie’s friend and mentor Gennaro Contaldo!  

Tesco Group Customer Director, Emma Botton, said: “Although families are keeping a close eye on the household budget, they still want to create meals that are delicious and interesting, using ingredients that they already have at home or that they can get by popping down to their local Tesco store. Jamie’s energy and passion is infectious and we’re sure he’ll inspire families up and down the country to have a go at the recipes in their own kitchens.” 

Jamie Oliver Group, Chief Commercial Officer, Megan Van Someren, said: “We're incredibly passionate about inspiring as many people as possible to experience the benefits of cooking. That’s why it’s perfect to partner with Tesco to create this entertaining and engaging advertiser funded programme, demonstrating how only 5 everyday ingredients can be transformed into delicious, affordable dishes.”  

In addition to the new programme, Tesco and Jamie will continue to help the nation create delicious and nutritious meals through their partnership across Tesco and Jamie Oliver channels. 

Tesco and Jamie Oliver are supporting the new series via their own channels, across social and digital platforms. The recipes will be available online at Tesco Real Food. 

www.tesco.com

Great news for Halloween fans – pumpkins will be even bigger this year

And the reason why pumpkins will be larger this year? It’s a result of Britain’s unpredictable weather over the summer.

While many Brits may have been cursing the rainier than usual mid-summer months of July and August, the inclement weather was actually good news for the UK’s pumpkin farmers.  

And now Tesco's bracing itself for stronger demand than ever when this season’s crop of pumpkins go on sale at stores across the UK this week.

Tesco pumpkin buyer Lucy Moss said: “The good news for Halloween fans coming from our main pumpkin growers is that the fruit will be larger than normal in all size variations this year as a result of very good growing conditions during the summer months.

“This year we have six different sizes and based on last year’s demand, the carving variety is still the most popular. Each of the six different size categories will be larger than usual this year so fans will get good value for money.

“The good news, from a food waste point of view, is there's been an increase in customers seeking out recipes for their delicious versatile pumpkin flesh on our Tesco Real Food website.” 

Oakley Farms, which is based near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, is one of Europe’s biggest suppliers of pumpkins, growing around five million annually. 

The farm works hand-in-hand with Tesco to ensure there is as little pumpkin waste as possible. 

Steve Whitworth, Commercial Manager at Oakley Farms said: “We had a pretty good growing season for pumpkins this summer with a really hot June which really helped the plants along.

“The rainy July and August may not have been great for sun lovers or BBQ fans but from a growing point of view for pumpkins, it was perfect. 

“The weather gave us the right amount of rain with sunny intervals especially compared with the challenging conditions we encountered during last year’s heatwave which was officially the hottest UK year on record.” 

Tesco’s pumpkins range this year is as follows:

Carving – standard size 

Culinary 

Munchkin 

Novelty including devil (red) and ghost (white) types 

Large 

Giant 

And here are some pumpkin recipes from Tesco for readers of That's Food and Drink to get their teeth into!

Sweet pumpkin pancakes with blackberries

These seasonal pancakes use pumpkin to give them a warm glow and sweet, squashy flavour. Stack 'em high with syrup and blackberries!

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Toss the pumpkin with the oil and spread out in a single layer in a roasting tin. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins, then remove the foil and continue to cook for 10 mins until the pumpkin is tender, with no liquid remaining in the tin. Leave to cool for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, mix the flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Crush the pumpkin in the tin with a potato masher or fork. Put in a jug with the milk and eggs, and whisk to combine evenly.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the centre of the flour bowl and whisk to make a smooth batter.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and use a piece of kitchen paper to wipe ¼ of the butter over the surface of the pan. Spoon 4-5 heaped tbsp of batter, well-spaced out in the pan, to make 4-5 pancakes. Cook for about 90 secs until golden underneath with bubbles forming on the surface; flip and cook for another 1 min. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.

Stack the pancakes and serve with the blackberries, a little yogurt and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Tip: Make your pancakes into pumpkin shapes. Spoon an extra 1 tsp batter into the pan while cooking to create stalks. Once cooked, spread half the batch with hazelnut chocolate spread, and cut faces out of the other half. Sandwich the halves together, and colour the stalks with green writing icing.

Pumpkin latte

If you're in need of a warm me up then get cosy with this wonderfully spiced pumpkin latte. This spicy and frothy hot drink is so simple to make at home, it's the perfect drink to snuggle up to and works wonderfully with both espresso coffee and instant coffee.

Put the pumpkin purée, sugar, spices and milk in a microwave-proof jug. Mix the contents to combine. Cover with clingfilm, then carefully pierce the surface two or three times, to allow steam to escape. Microwave on full power for 1½-2 mins, until the milk is hot.

Using an electric milk frother or whisk, whisk for 30-45 secs or until milk is really frothy. Pour the hot coffee into a latte glass or mug, then add the spiced pumpkin milk. Top with cream, if using, then dust with a little more mixed spice and some cocoa.

Tip: If you have a coffee machine, use two shots of espresso to make the latte. If not, use an instant espresso coffee or your usual cafetière. You will need 50ml strong coffee made from about 1 tbsp ground coffee.

https://realfood.tesco.com/gallery/10-best-pumpkin-recipes.html?id=1b1694dc-d4e0-4eaa-8a37-a4dd01265fb5

www.tesco.com

Tesco is first UK supermarket to give kinship carers same support as adoptive parents

Tesco, the UK’s largest private-sector employer, has granted colleagues who have a Special Guardianship Order to care for relatives’ children equal rights with colleagues who adopt – giving them both 26 weeks’ leave on full pay.

The kinship leave, which will apply to grandparents or other relatives who take on a child of a family member, is intended to help kinship carers to be able stay in the workforce, while managing their extra responsibilities. 

The new policy, which makes the grocer one of the first UK retailers to support these carers, is among a raft of family-friendly policies Tesco announced that will benefit more than 300,000 colleagues from this week. 

Tesco also announced: 

Improved maternity leave to 26 weeks with full pay 

Up to 12 weeks paid neonatal leave 

Fertility leave extended to partners as well as birth mothers of up to 5 days paid leave per treatment cycle 

Adoption leave improved to 26 weeks on full pay, and 

Paid leave for two weeks for the loss of a baby pre 24 weeks of pregnancy 

The charity Kinship, which has been campaigning for kinship carers to have the same rights to paid leave as parents and adopters, has welcomed the move by Tesco. There are 152,000 children in the UK growing up in kinship care and they estimate that hundreds of kinship carers work for Tesco. 

The pioneering new policy will apply to Tesco colleagues who have obtained an SGO from a family court, which allows a child to be brought up by people such as grandparents, relatives or family friends while maintaining contact with birth parents. 

Lucy Peake, CEO of Kinship, the leading national charity for England and Wales, said: “We are really thrilled that Tesco is stepping up for kinship carer Special Guardians in its workforce by introducing paid kinship care leave on a par with adoption leave.  

“Tesco’s new policy will really make an enormous difference to many Special Guardian kinship carers across the country, who will now be able to take paid time off when to support children who have often experienced trauma and focus on their needs, knowing they will have a job to return to.  

“We’re very proud to be working with Tesco as they implement this industry-leading support for Special Guardians and hope over time it can extended to all kinship carers. We urge other retailers to follow their lead and will soon be launching our Kinship Friendly Employers scheme to encourage employers of all sizes to better support kinship carers in the workforce” 

Taylor Kershaw, who works in the Employer Brand team at Tesco, found her life turned upside down when she stepped up at the age of 25 to look after her brother’s newborn daughter.  

Taylor was able to raise awareness of the issue facing kinship carers with colleagues in the Tesco People team, which led to the new policy being introduced. 

Taylor said: “This is a gamechanger for all colleagues who are facing up to such a major life change. I was just 25 years old when I stepped up to become a guardian to a child that was only five days old. 

“I was heartbroken for my brother and his partner, but suddenly I had to navigate becoming a guardian while still living at home and working full-time. This leave would have taken a lot of pressure from my shoulders and given me time to bond with baby and settle into my new role.” 

In addition, the grocer has improved its maternity and adoption leave benefits substantially, increasing from 14 weeks with full pay followed by 14 weeks half pay, to 26 weeks with full pay.  This is a significant improvement for over 2000 colleagues a year at Tesco who take maternity leave. 

Tesco is also introducing paid neonatal leave for the first time, ahead of Government legislation due to come into force in 2025. The retailer will allow colleagues whose child has been unwell and spent seven days or more in hospital during their first 28 days since birth, to extend maternity or shared parental leave by up to 12 weeks on full pay. 

Tesco also recently agreed new flexible working rights giving more than 300,000 colleagues the right to request a flexible working pattern from their first day in the job, rather than having to wait six months. 

In July, Tesco announced a new benefit for colleagues and their immediate family - unlimited appointments with a virtual GP, seven days a week to give them added flexibility in managing their health. Tesco colleagues are also able to access to sleep therapists, nutritionists, counsellors, exercise coaches and physiotherapists to support their wellbeing.

This expanded focus on colleague wellbeing comes after Tesco made its biggest-ever investment in colleague pay over the past year, with an increase totalling a more than 15% pay rise to bring the hourly rate to £11.02. Tesco also gives colleagues a 10% discount on groceries, which increases to 15% every pay day weekend. 

James Goodman, Tesco UK People Director, said: “We've been really focused on our colleagues’ wellbeing this summer. As well as improving maternity leave for thousands of colleagues, we've  introduced a raft of new benefits to help colleagues strike a healthy work-life balance. 

“Relatives who take on the care of a child often feel forced to reduce their hours or even leave their jobs as they try to juggle extra responsibilities, and we wanted to really step up to offer kinship carers the same support as colleagues who adopt a child.”

Daniel Adams, USDAW National Officer said: “Following ongoing discussions between Tesco and USDAW, we are pleased that the company is making these improvements which will provide valuable, additional support for our members when they need it most.” 

www.tesco.com

Tesco introduces new safety measure to protect staff

Ever mindful of its duty to protect colleagues, Tesco is introducing new protective screens at hundreds of Express stores and petrol station kiosks in a further bid to protect its colleagues from criminal assaults. 

The retailer, which has already introduced body worn cameras across its stores as part of a range of measures to protect and look after colleagues, is making the move amidst a rising tide of retail crime, with British Retail Consortium figures showing violence and abuse towards retail workers has doubled over the last four years. 

The toughened glass screens, which fully enclose the colleague side of the till and stand above head-height, have already been installed at over 110 Tesco sites, and are now being introduced to over 250 additional stores as part of a multi-million-pound investment in colleague safety. 

The screens places a defensive barrier between colleagues and any potential attackers, protecting shop workers against both physical assault and from the threat of having liquids or other items thrown at them.  

Tesco UK CEO Jason Tarry said: “The rise in retail crime has been widely talked about during recent weeks, but the most troubling aspect is the surge in assaults and abuse we have seen against our colleagues in stores.  

“This is something that impacts the entire retail industry, and something too many of my colleagues have had to endure first-hand, incidents of violence against our colleagues up by a third year-on-year. 

“The safety of our colleagues is our top number priority. And that's why we've rolled out a number of safety measures, including these screens, to help protect our colleagues from the small minority of people who would wish to do them harm, and offering our colleagues additional peace of mind when they come into work each day.” 

Nisa Wickramasinghe, the manager of an Express store in Southwark, is among the Tesco colleagues glad to see the screens put in place. She had found herself shaken up by an incident in which an attacker jumped over the counter and behind the till, forcing her to jump over the counter herself to make her escape.

“Now we have the screen I feel a lot safer to come to work and so do my colleagues too,” she said. 

Last year, the Government made attacking shopworkers an aggravating factor in convictions, thus meaning stronger sentences for those who assault retail workers. But Tesco’s Group CEO Ken Murphy recently asked the Government to go further and make violence against retail workers an offence in its own right. 

Retail union Usdaw’s National Officer Daniel Adams backed the latest move by Tesco and the calls for a specific offence.  He said:  “Usdaw has been working closely with Tesco on measures the business can take to improve safety and welcomes the introduction of these additional security measures for employees." 

He went on to say: “However, this is not something that can be solved by employers and unions alone. With such appallingly high levels of violence and abuse much more needs to be done to help protect shopworkers and give them the respect they deserve. Part of this has to be the introduction of a specific offence for acts of violence against shopworkers.”

www.tesco.com

Tesco adds air fryer cooking instructions to products for first time from Monday

Good news for air frying fans, as Tesco is adding air fryer cooking instructions to some of its product packaging for the first time from tomorrow, Monday (2 Oct) to help customers take advantage of the latest energy-saving cooking trend.

Four lines of new chilled potato products: Maris Piper Chips with salt & pepper seasoning, Skinny Fries, BBQ Sweet Potato Wedges and Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic and Parsley Butter will have labels featuring the air fry symbol as part of the back-of-pack cooking instructions.

Following from this, three new Tesco Own Brand Frozen Breaded Chicken products Salt and Chilli Chicken Strips, Southern Fried Chicken Strips and Breaded Chicken Strips, will also feature a label with air fryer cooking instructions. 

This marks the start of a major rollout over the coming months, which will see air fryer cooking instructions on the back of more products including  frozen chips and potato products, burgers and BBQ products, frozen bakery products, chilled bacon, sausages, chicken and salmon, chilled prepared produce and frozen & chilled party food.

Last year, research indicated air fryers are one of the cheapest cooking appliances to use in the home and they also employ much less oil than traditional deep fat fryers or frying pans, thus making them a healthier option, too.

For customers yet to have bought air fryers, Tesco has a selection on offer which start at £50 for a 4-litre unit, running up to a 9-litre dual draw unit at £139 – while currently there are FIVE air fryers available on Clubcard Prices, starting at just £45.

Breige Donaghy, Tesco’s Director of Product Innovation, said: “We know our customers are enjoying experimenting with their air fryers for family favourites and new recipes. Putting specific air fryer cooking instructions on packaging will help them to get the best results, which is why we’re rolling this out across more than 100 Own Brand products. There’s also fun and exciting recipes to try on our Real Food page.”

For inspiration on other delicious things to prepare in the air fryer, customers can visit Tesco’s Real Food page for easy to follow, delicious recipes.

https://realfood.tesco.com/category/air-fryer.html

www.tesco.com

Air fryers currently available at Tesco are:

Go Cook 4L Digital Air Fryer: £50

Tower 4L Manual Air Fryer: £58

Tower 4L Digital Air Fryer: £74

Tower- 6L Vortx Digital Air Fryer With Window: £89

Tower 11L Digital Air Fryer Oven: £119

Tower 5.6L Smokeless Grill Air Fryer: £139

Tower 8.5L Vortx Dual Draw Digital Air Fryer: £139

Air fryers we currently have on Clubcard prices are:

Tower 4L Manual Air Fryer at £45 with a Clubcard

 Go Cook 4L Air Fryer at £50 with a Clubcard

Tower Vortx 6L Digital Air Fryer With Window at £69 with a Clubcard

Tower 5.6L Smokeless Grill Air Fryer at £104 with a Clubcard

Tower 8.5L Vortx Dual Deaw Digital Air Fryer at £114 with a Clubcard

(EDITOR: As all air fryers are non-stick they are not safe for families with pet birds to operate, so regretfully, That's Food and Drink will not be able to buy an air fryer, at least until a pet bird friendly air fryer is introduced.)

Tesco locks down 1,000 prices in run up to Christmas and beyond

Tesco is locking more than a thousand prices, price cuts on 100s of products and Aldi price-match on hundreds more delivers great value for customers.

Tesco is locking the price of over a 1,000 everyday products until next year (2024) as part of its plan to deliver great value for customers.

With consumers still facing the cost-of-living squeeze, Tesco's unveiled a price lock on a range of popular products until the new year. It sits with recent price cuts to hundreds of products and Tesco price-matching Aldi on hundreds of other products.

Among the 1,000-plus everyday items to have their price locked as part of the latest round of Low Everyday Prices are Typhoo One Cup teabags, Jacobs’ Cream Crackers and Aquafresh Freshmint Toothpaste.

Tesco UK CEO, Jason Tarry, said the latest round of Low Everyday Prices would help customers manage their household budgets as they go forward into the Christmas period.

He said: “We know this has been a year of careful budgeting for shoppers, with customers wanting to ensure they're getting great value on their shop.”

He added: “By locking over 1,000 prices, our customers know exactly how much they'll be paying for those items today, at Halloween, at Christmas, and into 2024.”

But locking over 1,000 prices is just one way in which Tesco's committing to deliver great value for Britain’s shoppers. The supermarket is also passing on savings to customers wherever it sees opportunities to do so, and is matching over 600 staple products to Aldi on a weekly basis.

Since announcing price cuts to 500 lines last June, Tesco's continued to reduce prices every week since, with hundreds more products now reduced in price. Some of the products to have recently seen their prices cut include Andrex Toilet Tissue (reduced 9%), Free From white bread rolls (reduced by 14%) and Pitted black olives (reduced 8%). 

Jason Tarry went on to say: “Food inflation is still with us, but by cutting prices wherever we can, and by locking others to give customers certainty in their budgets, we are able to provide great value to our shoppers. When you combine that with the over 8,000 Clubcard Prices deals each week, there are thousands of reasons to shop at Tesco.”

www.tesco.com

Tesco shoppers set for £500k gold rush

Tesco shoppers have a golden hour to win a share of HALF A MILLION POUNDS for their local school or a community group that supports children this Saturday (23rd Sept).

As part of the ‘Stronger Starts’ campaign, between 12 noon and 1.00pm, shoppers in 100 Tesco stores can take a lucky dip to find a gold version of Tesco’s famous blue voting token. 

Customers who find a gold token will be able to choose which local school or community project will receive a £5,000 Golden Grant to spend on equipment or healthy food to help give children a stronger start in life. 

The Golden Grants are being supported by Diversity star and Kiss Breakfast presenter, Jordan Banjo, who helped to launch Tesco’s Stronger Starts campaign in July. He said:

“Right now, £5,000 can make massive difference to a school or community project and help them give children a stronger start in life, so get down to your local store and try and find that golden token!” 

Jason Tarry, Tesco UK CEO, said: “Schools and local projects are really vital in supporting our children and our communities. We’re giving customers who visit these 100 stores the chance to make a difference to a school or group that’s doing amazing work on their doorstep.” 

Last year’s recipients of a Tesco Golden Grant included Achieve, Thrive, Flourish (ATF) a group based in Basildon, Essex, which works with communities and young people at risk of exclusion and helps to improve their wellbeing through after school activities and food provision. Red Hill Primary School in Worcester used their grant to purchase sensory equipment, therapy toys and learning resources to maximise the potential of children with additional and SEND needs. 

Golden Grants are awarded twice a year and are part of Tesco Stronger Starts, a £5m grant programme in partnership with Groundwork UK. The grants are there to help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities. 

Schools and children’s groups can apply via Groundwork for a grant by going to www.tescoplc.com/strongerstarts. Successful applications will go to a vote in their local Tesco store where customers choose which of the three projects they’d like to support by voting with a blue token. 

Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, over £100million has been given to in excess of 50,000 local schools and community groups. 

To learn what stores are participating visit https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/communities/strongerstarts#participating-stores

Are You Taking the Phizz?

Phizz are taking on Berocca as the UK's fastest growing effervescent brand; the young, science-led team works with a PhD neuroscientist to develop innovative all-in-one health supplements, formulated to support daily wellbeing, exercise, travel, and nights out. This month, September, sees the rollout of Phizz's first Out of Home Campaign, which will run until the 24th of this month.

What is the objective of the campaign? It's simply to drive brand awareness across London and to support the launch of Phizz Caffeine Boost in Tesco Express. Bringing the brand to life across a variety of touchpoints and platforms to maximise brand awareness, impact and campaign longevity.

With an expected reach in excess of 7 million, taking advantage of the return to office working and September's back to school season, the campaign includes advertising across three high impact mega screens including Canary Wharf, Westfield Shepherds Bush and Westfield Stratford; advertising across 50 food delivery bikes in Zone 1, Central London; 32 further mega screens will run for the full two weeks across zones 1 and 2.

Phizz have also created 500 magnetic clings, pavement stencils and sampling bins, the team will be distributing sample product across London for the next couple of weeks. Lastly, Phizz has partnered with Gymfluencers to create 100 bespoke Phizz Caffeine fitness influencer boxes, to enhance social media awareness in tandem with the campaign.

Phizz Founder Dan Cray says, "In 2023, Phizz has soared to third place within the effervescent category, and with our recent debut in Tesco Express, we decided the time was ripe to take our visibility to even new heights.  

"With distribution now spanning over 4,500 national locations, we're embarking on an ambitious journey. Expect impactful ATL campaigns and exciting activations with renowned brands like Gymshark. This marks just the beginning of our significant growth.

"Our launch to Tesco Express is our first time in this convenience store format. The launch has been driven from the strong rate of sale nationwide in superstores. Tesco now sees a strong fit for Phizz to support non-stop city lifestyles.”

Phizz are also launching Orange, Mixed Berry, Apple & Blackcurrant Effervescent tabs to Morrisons. The brand will launch with a £6 promo running until 17th October, before retailing at £8.00 per tube of 20 tablets. 

Founder Dan Cray went on to say: “Morrison's decision to include Phizz in their range reinforces our position as the fastest-growing brand in the category. We're obviously pleased and utterly thrilled to introduce our unparalleled benefits in an array of delicious flavours, aiming to elevate lives across the nation.”

Here are some details about the range:-

The new Cherry Caffeine Boost, a triple-action energy boosting effervescent, aims to combat the major cause of fatigue: dehydration. Available now from Amazon and Tesco. The ground-breaking formula, a global first, aims to optimise natural energy levels, combat fatigue and drowsiness, and deliver a daily dose of invigorating wellness. 

We wake up every day with two basic health goals, to eat a well-rounded diet that achieves all our nutritional requirements and to drink enough water; busy modern lifestyles, travel and high-performance sport all get in the way of achieving these goals, and without optimal nutrients and hydration, you're not your best self. 94% of the UK is dehydrated, on average, consumers drink just 850ml of water per day – less than half of the recommended daily intake. A 2% drop in hydration leads to mental and physical fatigue.

With 75mg of caffeine, equivalent to a cup of coffee, and fortified with natural guarana, it heightens alertness and invigorates the mind and body. By adding Guarana to their tried-and-true formula, Phizz harnesses the Amazonian berry's energy boosting properties that can help to increase attention and alertness; it has more caffeine per berry than any other plant (even coffee beans) and it's also packed full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Guarana gives a slower releasing and longer lasting caffeine effect than caffeine from tea and coffee, providing a smoother energy release. 

Further enhanced by a potent blend of essential B-vitamins, it unlocks the body's natural energy resource by helping convert food into energy. The low calorie (10kcal) tablet's energy proposition is complemented by a range of 17 essential nutrients for optimal health. Phizz Caffeine Boost can be incorporated into your daily routine, before a sports game or gym session, as a replacement for your morning coffee or energy drink, as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or when feeling jetlagged after a flight, making Phizz your new best friend.

“At Phizz, we provide comprehensive solutions with unmatched science to beat any other single product in the market. This product has a fresh perspective on the energy category while ensuring optimal hydration and health. And at only 40p per drink, we offer solid science at great value,” explains Daniel Cray, CEO and founder of Phizz. 

The London-based start-up creates everyday life armour with their trio of 3-in-1effervescent tablets that combine a hydration formula, electrolytes, and a comprehensive multivitamin. The young, science-led team works with a PhD neuroscientist to develop innovative all-in-one health supplements that are formulated to support daily wellbeing, exercise, travel, and nights out. Unlike other effervescent brands, Phizz is both a multivitamin and a rehydration remedy, helping you thrive every day across three main lifestyle pillars:

Hydration

Dehydration and vitamin deficiencies are two common, daily challenges that can negatively affect our physical and mental performance. Just 1-2% dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps and concentration loss. (EDITOR: It certainly does! And it's very, very painful!)

Electrolyte Replenishment 

Phizz contains a range of key electrolytes to support heart, brain, nerve, and immune system function. These include four of the main electrolytes lost through sweat which helps prevent cramping and muscle fatigue.

High Dose Multivitamin 

Phizz offers eighteen essential vitamins and minerals for natural energy, reduction in fatigue, normal functioning of the immune system, mental performance, and antioxidants to prevent cellular damage.

We wake up every day with two basic health goals, to eat a well-rounded diet that achieves all our nutritional requirements and to drink enough water; busy modern lifestyles, travel and high-performance sport all get in the way of achieving these goals, and without optimal nutrients and hydration, you're not your best self. Phizz 3-in-1 is a small but mighty tablet (available in Orange, Apple & Blackcurrant and Mixed Berry), that helps you get one step ahead of your immune, energy, focus and hydration goals. 

Phizz's science-backed formula helps you hydrate three times faster (compared with drinking water alone), delivers natural energy, and supports your immune system. Just dissolve one tablet in a glass or bottle of water (best served chilled!).

Phizz is perfectly balanced with 18 quality and high-dose vitamins and minerals designed to boost your natural energy (thanks to a B-12 and B-6 vitamin hit, 375% of your daily dose of immune-boosting vitamin C (the equivalent of three oranges) and electrolytes, often lost through sweat. Phizz also packs a self-care punch with zinc (more than in three cups of spinach), potassium (more than in one banana) as well as other powerful antioxidants . 

Phizz is ideal as part of your everyday routine. It's diverse range of uses also support more targeted needs, including combating tiredness and fatigue, supporting an active lifestyle – such as marathon training – rapid rehydration after a big night, beating jetlag and supporting your body in hot climates.

Dehydration can have significant effects on physical performance, particularly during endurance events where large volumes of water can be lost through sweat. Phizz helps the body hydrate faster while also replacing key electrolytes to support muscle function. Drinking Phizz during, or prior to, exercise can therefore reduce fatigue, cramps, and thirst, while increasing energy and stamina. But don't just take our word for it! Phizz is rigorously vetted by medical departments and players and is chosen as their preferred hydration solution due to the superior formula. Damian Roden (High-Performance Consultant and former Premier League Head of Performance) says, “Phizz gives players a head start on the competition with the vitamins and electrolytes our players need to perform at their peak.” Phizz has supplied over 50 professional sports teams across rugby, football and cricket including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Saracens. Notable fans also include Olympic Champion Peter Reed OBE, TV personality Vicky Pattison and television presenter Andi Peters. 

Although a premium option, with quality at its core, Phizz offers value against a typical energy drink at just 40p per serving. Your plastic usage is also cut down to one recyclable tube, compared with 20 one-time-use drinks containers, helping you to minimise your impact and maximise your health. Phizz has partnered with Plastic Bank, for each Phizz product purchased 1.3x its weight in plastic waste is collected, recycled and prevented from entering our oceans; collectors are paid a premium, empowering local communities across some of the world's most vulnerable coastal environments. Phizz is proud to be leading the way as the only plastic-positive effervescent tablet in the category. 

Using the power of science, Phizz make all-in-one health supplements that help you thrive every day; find Phizz at Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Amazon, or buy direct from www.phizz.co.

Startup NatureMetrics wins 2023 Tesco Agri T-Jam competition and the chance to partner with Tesco’s suppliers

NatureMetrics has won the 2023 Tesco Agri T-Jam Competition, securing fast-track introductions to the Tesco supplier network and a trial with one of the retailer’s supply chain partners.

Now in year, six, the Tesco Agri T-Jam pitching event, run in partnership with Leading Edge Only, saw 10 different agri start-ups pitch to a panel of Tesco sustainable agriculture and commercial experts, Tesco suppliers, and stakeholders to find the most promising agriculture innovations that were available.

This year, the event was dominated by innovations capable of contributing to Tesco’s aim of building more sustainable supply chains, incorporating ideas with solutions to support on-farm measurement, data analytics, and supporting farmers in making informed choices around complex sustainability issues.

NatureMetrics, represented at the pitch event by its Head of Agriculture, Tom Ludwig, won the competition for its innovative solution which measures biodiversity using eDNA analysis of soil, water, and insects. 

The innovation converts this complex but vitally important data into simple metrics which can be viewed through its Nature Intelligence Platform, allowing users to comprehensively report on biodiversity improvement in their supply chain.

Commenting on the competition this year, Natalie Smith, Head of Sustainable Agriculture at Tesco, said: “We are obviously absolutely thrilled to welcome NatureMetrics to our network, and to offer them the important opportunity to work with our suppliers and experience direct feedback and mentoring from our Sustainable Agriculture team. In an incredibly strong field, Tom Ludwig demonstrated his commitment to biodiversity and really impressed the whole of the judging panel."

She went on to say: “This competition is designed to help us find innovators who can help us build long-term resilience within our supply base, addressing key sustainability challenges so we can continue our progress towards our stretching climate and biodiversity targets. I’d like to thank all of our finalists for taking part. And I’m absolutely certain that there will be more opportunities in the future for these innovators to work with Tesco suppliers.”

Ludwig will also receive a one-year free membership to both Agri-TechE and Agri-EPI Centre and will have the fantastic chance to present on stage at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit taking place in London on 26-27 September, to an audience of nearly 1,000 international senior ag-tech decision-makers and innovators.

Alongside Tom Ludwig, the other finalists were: Viridian (Angus Middleton), Flexifarm (Kevin Gooding), Map of Ag (Joe Towers), Bloomfield (Mark DeSantis), Laguzze (Laurent Vigouelle), Yard Stick PBC (Chris Tolles), Snapp Laab (Donat Posta), Protiomix Ltd (Stephan Jaffe), and Sunamp (Ana Amaral).

Scott Sharp, founder and CEO of Leading Edge Only, said: “We're please and delighted for Tom and for all of the applicants who were shortlisted. This is a life-changing opportunity and it's incredibly exciting to see the level of talent across start-ups in the agri-tech space. We are confident that we will continue to hear these names as they each make their stamp within the landscape over the next few years.”

www.tesco.com

Stand by net zero and back green innovation urges boss as Tesco unveils rapid expansion of low-carbon fertiliser trial

Tesco’s CEO, Ken Murphy has called on political parties to stand by their net zero commitments and give businesses the confidence to invest. 

The call to action came as he unveiled the rapid expansion of one of Tesco’s key agricultural innovation initiatives, the largest commercial field trial of low-carbon fertilisers in the UK.

Speaking at the Reuters IMPACT event in London, Murphy said green innovation in the food industry could be transformational in helping to cut costs and carbon, protect food security and stimulate green growth. But he warned levels of investment in the UK remain well below the OECD average* and that Government and industry must work together to enable and unlock large-scale innovation.

Committing to leaving no stone unturned in its championing and scaling of cutting-edge innovation, Murphy announced that Tesco will expand its trial of low-carbon, mostly domestically produced fertilisers, partnering with its suppliers to drive a tenfold increase in the number of hectares being cultivated by low-carbon alternatives for the 2024 growing season. It has committed to share the findings so other businesses can also learn and benefit.

With conventional fertiliser costs rising by as much as 140% last year, and the closure of the UK’s last remaining fertiliser plant, low-carbon fertilisers could be a cost effective and less volatile alternative for farmers struggling with shortages caused by the war in Ukraine. 

During the first year of the trial, 1,300 hectares of land were cultivated using eight different low-carbon fertilisers, six of which being manufactured in the UK from material including food waste, chicken litter, fire extinguisher waste and algae, producing 70,000 tonnes of produce such as lettuces, carrots and potatoes for Tesco customers. Initial results found they were just as effective as conventional fertilisers and cut emissions by up to 50%.

Now Tesco plans to increase the trial to 13,000 hectares next year, paving the way for widespread take-up of low-carbon alternatives. As well as its main vegetable suppliers, Tesco also plans to roll out the initiative to more of its Sustainable Farming Groups, many of whom manage pasture and forage-based systems for rearing livestock.

Ken Murphy said: “As we work to protect customers and suppliers from rising costs today, we must also do all we can to safeguard the shopping basket from shocks tomorrow. That means building a more resilient, sustainable and productive food system. One that guarantees customers a long-term supply of quality, affordable food as well as improving the economy and world they live in.

“Innovations like low-carbon fertiliser are part of the solution. As the early results show, they have huge potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions, enhance soil health and water quality, as well as providing greater cost certainty for farmers and create industry here in the UK – which is why I am so pleased with our plans to scale up usage next year. But to realise the full benefits, we need to see action beyond our supply chain, too.

“We’ll only get there through cross-industry and cross-party collaboration. We all need to drive towards the same goal, and be better at sharing learnings and resources on the way. The food industry is willing to invest, but needs more stability and confidence when it comes to future policy. That is why it’s critical that all parties, regardless of political creed, stand by their Net Zero commitments and timelines.”

The initiative will contribute to Tesco’s wider commitment as part of WWF's Retailers' Commitment for Nature to halve the environmental impact of the average shopping basket by 2030 and also inform Tesco’s approach to reducing on farm emissions as part of its wider commitment to reach net zero across its supply chain by 2050.

Tesco slashes more prices, and this time it’s good news for parents, too

Today, Tesco has  announced another round of price cuts, with prices sliced on over 50 products as it continues to pass savings on to customers.

This time round parents will be set to see some of the biggest benefits, with Tesco slashing the cost of some Pampers nappies by 16% and cutting prices across a range of branded and own-brand baby products from Johnsons Baby Shampoo to Florence and Fred Cotton buds. In total, this week Tesco is reducing the prices of almost 60 products available in its larger stores, with a quarter of the cuts in the baby aisle.

But its not just parents who can make savings. Other products seeing some of the biggest reductions are six packs of Tesco yoghurt drinks (down 17%), Tesco Garlic Mayo (cut by 14%) and Tesco Kind and Pure Facial Cleansing Wipes (reduced by 19%).

This is part of Tesco’s commitment to pass on savings to customers whenever possible. Tesco announced cuts on 500 lines in June and has continued to cut prices on hundreds of products in recent weeks, with a wide variety of products including milk, pasta, cooking oil and broccoli now at lower prices.

Tesco Chief Product Officer Ashwin Prasad said: “We're aware that household budgets remain under pressure, and so I'm really pleased to announce price cuts across a further range of products, including key products popular with young families.

“This latest round of price cuts is just another sign of our commitment to pass on savings to our customers wherever we are able, and we will continue to work with our suppliers to bring down prices on the items that our customers put in their trolley or basket week-in, week-out.”

The cuts are the latest action from Tesco to support customers amidst current cost-of-living pressures. Earlier this month Tesco announced that it was replacing more than 50 branded lines stocked in Express stores with more keenly-priced alternatives (many of them own-brand) to help save shoppers money.

Bumper British melon crop harvested

Lovers of watermelons (EDITOR: This includes my wife and I!) will be in for a treat this year, because  there's a record-breaking bumper UK-grown crop on the way.

Shoppers will be able to judge for themselves when the predicted 11,000 UK-grown watermelons, the biggest crop ever produced and harvested in Britain, -exclusively hit Tesco shelves this coming week.

The fruit has been produced by the UK’s biggest watermelon grower, Oakley Farms which is based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, under the careful guidance of melon growing expert James Cackett.

James, who is as a fruit technical manager for Tesco, has spent the last 15 years working with both seed houses and British growers on developing varieties that are perfect for the UK climate and soil.

James said: “This is an absolutely  massive achievement by Oakley Farms as their previous production record was around 5,500 watermelons a few years ago so to double that inside two years is a fantastic achievement.

“The growing of watermelons in Britain is still a small and developing industry with only a handful of producers scattered all over the UK.

“When we first started selling them, in very small quantity, about 10 years back, Tesco customers were curious as to whether such an exotic looking fruit could ever be grown over here in the UK.

“But they're now very popular with shoppers firmly committed to supporting British growers and each year demand gets stronger, so it doesn’t take very long for the entire crop to sell out.”

Oakley Farms and Tesco have worked together on watermelon production for seven years and while the rainy July certainly slowed production somewhat, lesson learned from previous years has still resulted in a record-breaking year in terms of volume of production.

The farm is also the UK’s biggest producer of pumpkins and also grows courgettes and pumpkins and courgettes are both members of the cucurbit family, as are watermelons.

Oakley Farms manager Nick Molesworth added: “We began growing them after Tesco approached us and offered to work with us on the project and we felt that it made good sense as the crop would fit in perfectly between production of courgettes in late spring and pumpkins in the early autumn months.

“We've tried several different methods of growing the watermelons and are now getting more fruit per plant so the hard work is beginning to pay off for us.

“However, I have to say that they're not that easy to grow and the British climate can also be a bit of a challenge,  but we’re very pleased with this year’s crop. We believe that growing watermelons is a natural evolution for our business.”

The water melons are set to go on sale in x Tesco stores and will cost £3.49 each for the standard size and £2.50 for the mini size.

www.tesco.com 

Brits stock up for last big BBQ feasts of the year ahead of the Bank Holiday

Brits have been stocking up for what is likely to be the last big BBQ day of the year for the Bank Holiday.

Forecasts for temperatures around the 20C mark have set up the August Bank Holiday for probably the last big BBQ parties of the year.

Since last Thursday sales at Tesco of typical BBQ foods like burgers, sausages, fish and plant-based meat alternatives plus beers and wines have been in high demand.

And as a result of a 25% off six bottles of wine and fizz (Clubcard deal members only) running from until Monday, Tesco predicts it expects to sell more wine than beer over the Bank Holiday weekend. 

Tesco BBQ meat buyer Lucy Draper said: “This August Bank Holiday is likely to see the last big BBQ parties of the year with schools starting up again the following week and people returning to the UK from their summer holidays.

“Also a result of a wetter than normal summer, Brits have had fewer BBQ occasions than usual to enjoy so we believe many people will seize the chance for one last hurrah and go all out to invite family and friends over to enjoy the great outdoors.”

Across the Bank Holiday period Tesco expects to sell:

1.25 million packs of sausages

Over 300,000 packs of burgers

Over 225,000 plant-based meat alternatives

Over 1 million packs of fish

Over 300,000 packs of BBQ meat

Over 1 million packs of burger and hot dog rolls

Over1 million punnets of strawberries

Almost 300,000 packs of Greek/salad cheese

Over 2.25 million ice creams and lollies

Over 4 million bottles/cans of beer

Almost 8000 bottles of Pimms

Over 300,000 packs of ice cubes

Over 500,000 cartons of fresh cream

Over 5 million bottles of wine

Something in the region of 100,000 bags of BBQ fuel

www.tesco.com

 

Tesco has 425 million reasons for customers to recycle

Customers shopping at Tesco are going to soon see changes across its own brand milk, as it the works with its milk dairies to make milk bottles even easier to recycle. 

By removing coloured plastic and changing blue, red and green milk caps to a clear alternative, on some 425 million bottles of milk annually, Tesco is improving the quality of recovered material from household waste and enabling the cap to be recycled back into new milk bottles. Customers are encouraged to squash or crush empty bottles, replacing the original lid before recycling to ensure it's not lost or discarded. 

Coloured plastic currently has to be processed separately from clear packaging, so this simple, yet effective change, means every year 3,900 extra tonnes of recycled plastic will be able to go back into making new milk bottles, a process which can be repeated each and every time a customer recycles it. 

The move will be seen in all Tesco stores, across 4 pint, 2 pint and 1 pint plastic milk bottles. However, different types of milk, whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed, will still be easy for staff and shoppers of identify, thanks to coloured labels around the main bottle.

James Waddy, who is Category Director for Dairy at Tesco, said: “Ensuring our packaging is as sustainable as possible is very important to us, and customer feedback on our trials of these new clear milk caps was overwhelmingly positive. Of course, we'll continue to look for ways to improve the packaging of all of our products, thus helping to make it even easier for customers to recycle at home.”

Tesco follows its 4Rs strategy when it comes to plastic and packaging, aiming to remove plastic where possible, reduce where it can't, reuse more and recycle what is left. 

Earlier this month, Tesco announced a trial of fresh mince ‘pillow packs’, which use 70% less plastic and are fully recyclable at in-store soft plastic collection points.                                           

To date, Tesco has removed around 2.2 billion pieces of plastic from its UK business, including: 

200+ million bags from Tesco.com deliveries

100+ million extra lids from products such as wipes, creams, yogurts and desserts

33 million pieces of plastic from bakery bread and doughnuts 

Incidentally here is the link to the story about the fresh mince trial that we carried a few weeks ago:

https://thatsfoodanddrink.blogspot.com/2023/08/tesco-unveils-fresh-mince-pillow-packs.html

Tesco celebrates milestone of 500th electric customer home delivery van

Tesco has cemented its position as the UKs top supermarket when it comes to electric home delivery vans by unveiling its 500th electric van. 

The van will see service at the supermarket’s Sheffield Extra store. This is the first store in Yorkshire to have a fully electric fleet. The store runs 14 home delivery vans, making 2,500 deliveries every week.

Since Tesco introduced its first EV home delivery van back in 2020 in Greater London, the electric vehicles powered by clean green energy have replaced 15 million diesel delivery miles. 

Over 30 Tesco stores and centres are now operating fully electric home delivery vans across the UK, helping improve air quality in urban areas and reducing emissions, too.

Tesco’s fleet of 5,500 home delivery vans deliver to 150,000 customers across the UK every single day. 

As part of its aim to become carbon neutral in the UK by 2035, Tesco is fully committed to operating a fully electric home delivery fleet in the UK by the end of 2030. 

By moving the whole UK delivery fleet to cleaner green electric power, it would be equivalent to taking 22,000 cars off the road each year.

Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK & ROI, said: “The delivery of our 500th EV home delivery van to our Sheffield Extra store is an important landmark as we move towards a fully electric fleet across the UK by 2030. 

"Making this change will reduce our carbon emissions as a business, improve the air quality for the communities we serve in Sheffield, and help us reach our commitment to be carbon neutral in our own operations by 2035.”

Gill Furniss MP, who is the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, said: “It’s great to see Sheffield have a fully electric dotcom fleet, this is obviously brilliant for the local community.

We know moving to electric vehicles can contribute towards improved air quality and it’s great to see retailers like Tesco making investments like this in our city, Sheffield.”

Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said: “Electric vehicles are a key part of the UK's move to a Green growth economy. It is great to see businesses like Tesco embrace this technology to help make supermarket deliveries more sustainable.

“For its part the Government has supported over 40,000 electric vans and HGVs across the UK through the Plug-in Van Grant, supporting businesses and individuals to decarbonise.”

www.tesco.com

Sushi beats classic sandwich as it becomes UK’s fastest growing premium lunchtime treat

Japanese rice dish sushi is now so popular with Brits, it's become the UK’s fastest growing premium lunchtime main.

Demand at Tesco has grown so much sushi has replaced the smoked salmon sandwich as Britain’s favourite premium lunchtime treat. 

Since the beginning of the year when Tesco launched its £5 Clubcard Meal Deal, sushi sales have rocketed by a staggering  90%.

Included in the Premium deal, which offers Tesco shoppers a main, a drink and a snack, are a choice of sushi boxes, poke bowls and other pan-Asian delights like gyozas and bao buns.

As a result of the extra demand the supermarket now sells an amazing 21 million packs of sushi a year.  

Tesco Food to Go Buying Manager Emma Williams said:  “It's the first time we’ve ever put premium quality sushi in one of our meal deals and this has had a really significant effect in making it more affordable and accessible for Tesco shoppers.

"Demand's also been boosted by people returning to work and it’s led to restaurant group YO! opening more fresh sushi counters in our stores across the UK.  

“Sushi has never been more popular and for a salmon poke bowl to  overtake our previous top-selling premium lunchtime staple, the smoked salmon sandwich, really underlines that.”

One of the main reasons for sushi’s growing popularity is that it's a really non-fuss snack that can really be eaten on the go.

As part of the deal, shoppers can pick up well-known brands including Itsu, YO! Sushi and Pollen & Grace, plus a wide range of Tesco Finest mains.

The Tesco Premium Meal Deal is available now in 1,100 stores, offering a range of quality options to suit all tastes for just £5 per head with a Clubcard, or £5.50 without.

FOOD FACT:- The concept of sushi began about 500 BC when south-east  Asians found that raw fish could be preserved by placing it between vinegared rice.

The process is believed to have arrived in Japan in about 600 AD and quickly grew in popularity as a delicacy.

Modern sushi, as we know it, originated in the 19th century when a street food stall holder in the Japanese city of Edo, now Tokyo, shaped vinegared rice with his hands and the added a slice of raw fish on the top.

www.tesco.com