Asda has published the findings of its two-year partnership with independent research and innovation charity Nesta, revealing that most of its healthier choices trials delivered a positive uplift in sales of healthier products across participating stores.
The UK supermarket said the partnership helped shape its long-term health strategy and supported the introduction of a retailer health target aimed at improving the average health score of products sold year-on-year using the Government’s Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).
During the partnership, Asda and Nesta tested a range of health-focused initiatives in up to 20 stores. The trials were designed to explore how supermarkets can encourage healthier purchasing decisions while maintaining commercial viability.
Health-Focused Store Trials Show Positive Results
According to the findings, six out of eight healthier choices trials increased sales of healthier products, while five delivered double-digit growth.
The initiatives included giving healthier products greater prominence in key store locations, creating dedicated healthier snacking bays with clear signage, and offering incentives such as fruit and vegetable vouchers and children’s snack promotions.
The results suggest that relatively simple in-store interventions can influence customer purchasing behaviour and support healthier eating habits.
The partnership also contributed to the development of Asda’s broader health strategy, which aims to improve the nutritional quality of products purchased by customers over time.
While the trials were conducted on a limited scale, Asda said the findings provide valuable insight into how health-led retail initiatives could be expanded across the business.
The supermarket will now review the results in detail and assess opportunities to scale successful initiatives across its wider store network.
The publication of the findings comes as retailers across the UK face increasing pressure from policymakers, health organisations, and consumers to help address diet-related health challenges while maintaining affordable food choices.
Asda said the next phase of work will focus on understanding how the most effective trial measures can be embedded into everyday operations and used to encourage healthier purchasing decisions at a larger scale.
Asda’s healthier choices trials form part of the retailer’s wider commitment to improving access to healthier food options while supporting long-term business growth.
