Tesco has said it will press ahead with plans to remove BOGOF deals on unhealthy items despite the government announcing that the regulations would be delayed for a year.

Tesco store exterior at night

Tesco will remove volume-led promotions on HFSS (High in saturated Fat, Salt and Sugar) products in October.

The government has delayed the introduction of these new regulations for retailers for a year amid the cost-of-living crisis, but Tesco said that it was pressing ahead in a bid to make the grocer “the easiest place for customers to shop for affordable, healthy, sustainable food.”

The retailer said that customer feedback from its shoppers indicated that 86% wanted to eat more healthily, and 77% wanted supermarkets to help them do so.

In a bid to tackle this, as well as hit its goal for healthy products to make up 65% of its overall sales by 2025, Tesco launched a new campaign this month called Better Baskets, which aims to help shoppers build a healthier and more sustainable shopping basket without compromising on price.

This latest campaign exists alongside the grocer’s Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices schemes, which Tesco said “means customers will no longer need to purchase more HFSS products than they need to access great value.”

Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: “At Tesco, we passionately believe that healthier food should be more accessible to everyone, no matter your budget – and today’s announcement is a key step towards that. With more than eight in 10 people reporting a rise in their cost of living, value is the number one factor that drives choice in our stores. We will always make sure our products are competitively priced. But we can’t stop there. Obesity levels are rising among adults and children and the health of our nation must also be at the top of our agenda.”

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