Sainsbury’s cites smart data research as it brings back Healthy Start top-up

Sainsbury’s has announced it will reintroduce its top-up for families on the NHS Healthy Start scheme and analysis led by a researcher at an SDR UK data service features prominently in the announcement.

From 18 November, eligible families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can get an extra £3 a week for six weeks to spend on fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses.

The evidence Sainsbury’s cites comes from an evaluation led by Professor Michelle Morris, with researchers at the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) and the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD). CDRC’s work in this area continues through SDR UK’s Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service.

The researchers looked at Sainsbury’s 2021 top-up trial and found that customers who used a top-up coupon bought an average of 13 more portions of fruit and veg per basket than those who didn’t.

That figure features in the quote from Nilani Srithran, Sainsbury’s Head of Healthy & Sustainable Diets, and the press release links to the SDR UK case study “Smart use of supermarket data”.

The announcement has also been welcomed by the Public Health Minister, Dame Diana Johnson, who called on other retailers to follow Sainsbury’s lead. The Food Foundation said it hopes this will be the first step towards support across the industry.

This is another good example of smart data research making a difference outside academia. Shopping data showed what a small top-up can do for low-income families, and a major retailer is using that evidence to support families again. It also shows the value of researchers and businesses working together on data.