Tesco has broken its pledge to not offer multibuy deals featuring HFSS products by including pizza and frozen desserts in a ‘5 for 4’ promotional Clubcard campaign.
The UK’s largest retailer said earlier this year that it was “committed to removing HFSS multibuy deals” due to unprecedented financial pressures facing families struggling to afford food. It pledged to continue with the proposed ban on HFSS multibuy promotions despite the recent government U-turn which delayed the restrictions until October 2023.
However, Tesco recently launched a ‘frozen essentials’ for Clubcard users, which includes a range of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
The ‘5 for 4’ offer was initially intended to run from 27 October through to 31 October across the entire frozen food range but at the time of writing it is still available online with approximately 32 items.
The list includes FMCG giants like Chicago Town pizzas, Ben & Jerry’s, and Magnum ice creams.
While Tesco did not comment on the fact that the multibuy promotion included HFSS products, they did say their frozen ranges are “really popular with customers who are looking to save money and reduce waste at home”.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our 5 for 4 deal offered Clubcard members an extra little help with their weekly shop, on everything from frozen veg to fishfingers – and even festive favourites, for customers looking to buy ahead and spread the cost of Christmas”.
Co-ordinator of child charity the Children’s Food Campaign, Barbara Crowther, said it was “disappointing” to see Tesco break its original promise.
“It’s well evidenced that multibuy deals are designed primarily to get shoppers spending more not less, and in this case requires the purchase of four frozen items at full price in order to access the discount on offer,” she said.
“At a time that household budgets are under pressure, we believe there’s a better way for Tesco to support families to afford healthy food right now.”
The news comes as a recent Tesco survey in partnership with the charity Diabetes UK showed that almost 60% of shoppers aged under 40 have “deprioritised” their health because of the cost-of-living crisis.
