**Supermarket pledges to cover the VAT on products to help struggling families**
To help in the fight against kids’ tooth decay, Tesco is reducing the price of its children’s Pro Formula Steps range by 20% from Monday 9th October.
By taking care of the VAT on seven lines, comprising children’s toothbrushes, toothpastes and mouthwash, Tesco aims to make them as affordable as possible for families who might be struggling as a result of the cost of living crisis. The price cuts are as follows:
| Pro Formula Big Steps Cool Mint Toothpaste 6+ 75ml: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Little Steps Mild Mint Toothpaste 3-5 75ml: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Baby Steps Gently/Gentle Mint Toothpaste 0-2 75ml: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Big Steps Toothbrush 6+: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Little Steps Toothbrush 3-5: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Baby Steps Toothbrush 0-2 Years: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
| Pro Formula Big Steps Cool Mint Mouthwash 6+ 300ml: | From £1.00 down to 80p |
Recent figures1 show that 23.7% of 5-year-old children in England had experience of tooth decay. Children living in the most deprived areas of the country were almost 3 times as likely to have experience of dentinal decay (35.1%) as those living in the least deprived areas (13.5%). New research2 has also highlighted that 6.5 million children in England have not been seen by an NHS dentist in at least a year.
Tesco Head of Health Campaigns, Oonagh Turnbull, said:“Parents who are struggling to make ends meet shouldn’t have to make the difficult choice between looking after their children’s teeth and affording the weekly shop. Healthy teeth and gums shouldn’t have to be a luxury, which is why we’re making our kids’ oral care range affordable as possible.”
In addition to covering VAT on kids’ oral care, Tesco has covered VAT on sunscreen since 2021 and in August announced that it has reduced the price of its F&F range of period pants by also covering the cost of VAT on them, in a bid to make them more affordable for customers. In 2017 Tesco also led the way by being the first retailer to cover the cost of VAT on tampons.
