Asda’s Kids Eat for £1 lauded for helping to tackle child hunger

Winner: Asda - Kids Eat for £1 Cafe Meals

Asda’s ‘Kids Eat for £1’ scheme was lauded by the judges for its ambition, reach and longevity. It was a worthy follow-up to Marcus Rashford’s campaign to tackle holiday hunger, they said – and evolved into something more multifaceted too.

The initiative kicked off last June to help feed children through the summer holidays. Youngsters across the UK could get a meal for just £1 in more than 205 Asda cafés at any time of day, seven days a week.

While other retailers mimicked the scheme, Asda’s didn’t require an adult to buy a meal too. Asda served meals to more than 70,000 kids every week during the holiday. That was enough demand to compel the supermarket to continue the scheme to the end of the year – and beyond.

As the cost of living crisis continues, so does Kids Eat for £1. Term times comprise a choice of one of six hot meals in selected cafés, or a pick-and-mix sandwich meal deal.

As well as being extended, Kids Eat for £1 has grown broader. In February, Asda partnered with Quaker Oats to provide children with free breakfasts during the half-term week, when cafés served more than 50,000 bowls of porridge.

This was after the introduction of Winter Warmer – a scheme to give over-60s a soup, roll and hot drink for £1.

So a worthy winner and, as our judges put it, a sign Asda is regaining its sparkle after the grey years of Walmart ownership.

Shortlisted:

• Aldi - Aldi’s Next Big Thing
• Asda - Kids Eat for £1 Cafe Meals
• Burts Chips - Royal National Lifeboat Institution
• CJ Lang & Son - Neighbours Not Customers
• Co-op - Co-op & Your Local Pantry
• Fearne & Rosie - BBC Children in Need Partnership
• Lidl GB - Good to Give
• Premier Foods - Best Restaurant in Town