As the nation’s 16-year-olds start new college and sixth form, Co-op and charity Barnardo’s are calling on food retailers with loyalty schemes to review their polices and unlock further savings for young people to support with cost-of-living pressures during their studies.
Co-op is currently the only national UK food retailer to offer 16- and 17-year-olds independent access to saving benefits as part of its membership proposition, from member pricing to personalised money-saving offers to member games and reward mechanics that provide discounts in store. Under 16s are also eligible to become junior members, with parent or guardian permission.
However, it says other food retailers with loyalty schemes only offer exclusive additional saving benefits to shoppers who are over 18 – denying millions of young people access to loyalty value in their stores.
A good example is the ever-popular lunchtime meal deal, which is often purchased as a value lunch option for students across the UK, Co-op advises. With the membership discount in Co-op, 16 and 17-year-olds can save on average £60 a year - not currently accessible to them in some other retailers’ stores.
Additional research from Co-op has uncovered that 73% of 16- and 17-year-olds have chosen not to buy food or drink products from a retailer due to higher prices when not using a loyalty card.
In 2024, Barnardo’s – in partnership with Co-op – released a policy report highlighting the importance of access to food for young people’s well-being. The report set out several recommendations to Government and food retailers to make impactful changes, one of these being to consider ways that 16- and 17-year-olds can access discounted food by amending the terms of their retail discount schemes or considering the introduction of other discounts.
Co-op also recently sent a joint letter with Barnardo’s and Which? to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask for support in making sure that younger people are no longer excluded from food retail discounts.
Rachel Halter, director of membership at Co-op, said: “We see firsthand the volume of young people that come into our stores to buy food and drink, a number which increases during term times, as they depend on our stores during their studies.
“It seems wrong that we’re close to allowing 16-year-olds the ability to vote, yet they can’t access lower price food and offers to save money when shopping from many retailers.”
“I feel strongly that opening access to value for young people is an important issue, one we’ve been campaigning on with Barnardo’s for more than 12 months and we’re yet to see any changes. It seems wrong to me that we’re close to allowing 16-year-olds the ability to vote, yet they can’t access lower price food and offers to save money when shopping from many retailers.”
Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, added: “Our research with Co-op found that nearly one in four secondary and college-aged students were struggling to access healthy food in their communities. It means too many young people haven’t got access to the affordable and nutritious food that will help them thrive, both now and into adulthood.”
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