Tesco A–Z Multivitamins & Minerals review

Our take: the price every other multivitamin has to justify

Tesco’s A–Z Multivitamins & Minerals is exactly what it looks like: a conventional one-a-day multivitamin and mineral tablet, sold cheaply. It lists 23 nutrients, it takes one tablet a day with a meal, and at a Clubcard price of £4.95 for 90 tablets it costs about 5.5p a day.

That price is the point of this review. We have reviewed two men’s multivitamins — Wellman Original at about 14p to 23p a day and Opti-Men at about 50p to 67p — and in both cases the evidence did not show that their extra ingredients do anything for a man who already eats reasonably. If a multivitamin is insurance, the cheapest adequate policy wins, and this is it.

Two caveats. The evidence that anyone who eats a varied diet needs a multivitamin at all is weak. And this tablet contains iron, which most men do not need.

This is a desk review. We have read the published ingredient list, the product description and the research on multivitamins in healthy adults. We have not taken these tablets, tested their contents or run a trial. We could not open Tesco’s product page, and the per-tablet amounts were not in the listings we could read, so this page does not quote them.

What exactly are you buying?

The product is sold in packs of 30, 90, 180 and 240 tablets. The directions are one tablet a day, preferably with a meal, without exceeding the recommended dose.

The listing describes it as containing 23 essential nutrients, and as a source of vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B6 and B12, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium, among others. Under GB labelling rules, calling a food a “source” of a vitamin or mineral means a daily serving provides at least 15 per cent of its reference intake. So every nutrient named there is present in a meaningful amount — but we cannot tell you exactly how much, and that matters most for vitamin D.

The ingredient list, in order of weight, is: calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, vitamin C, bulking agents (microcrystalline cellulose, cross-linked sodium carboxymethylcellulose), ferrous fumarate (iron), vitamin E, niacin, anti-caking agents, zinc oxide, glazing agents (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, talc), pantothenic acid, manganese sulphate, cupric sulphate, vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A, folic acid, antioxidants, potassium iodide, chromium chloride and sodium molybdate, along with vitamins D, K and B12 and the other listed nutrients.

That is a conventional, no-frills formula: standard forms of each nutrient, no botanicals, no amino acids, no ginseng. Calcium and magnesium come first because minerals are heavy, not because the doses are large; a single tablet cannot hold more than a fraction of a day’s calcium or magnesium.

What does the evidence say about multivitamins?

The largest randomised trial of a daily multivitamin, the Physicians’ Health Study II, followed 14,641 male US doctors for a median of 11 years. The cancer results showed a small reduction in total cancer, and the cardiovascular results no reduction in heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular death. The US Preventive Services Task Force’s 2022 recommendation found the evidence insufficient to say whether multivitamins prevent heart disease or cancer, and a 2024 analysis of 390,124 healthy US adults found daily multivitamin use was not linked to living longer.

The NHS says most people should get the vitamins and minerals they need from a varied diet. The exception almost everyone in the UK shares is vitamin D: the NHS advises considering 10 µg a day in autumn and winter. Our guide to which vitamins to take daily sets out the other exceptions, such as folic acid before pregnancy and B12 for vegans.

The claims on the pack — B vitamins for reducing tiredness, vitamin D for bones and teeth, zinc for the immune system, iodine for cognitive function — are authorised claims on the GB nutrition and health claims register. They describe what these nutrients do in the body, and they matter when intake is low. They do not mean more gives you more.

Iron and vitamin D: the two lines to check

Iron. The ingredient list includes ferrous fumarate. For women who menstruate, who often need more iron, that is sensible. For most men and post-menopausal women, food usually provides enough, and the NHS notes that too much iron can be harmful. Men with haemochromatosis, a common inherited condition that often goes undiagnosed, should not take iron supplements.

Vitamin D. Older-style A–Z formulas often gave 5 µg of vitamin D, half the NHS figure; newer ones commonly give 10 µg. We could not read the amount in this one. Check the panel: if it gives less than 10 µg and vitamin D is your main reason for taking it, a plain 10 µg vitamin D tablet may be the better buy — and is similarly cheap.

Price: what 5.5p a day buys

In listings read on 28 September 2026, the 90-tablet pack had a Clubcard price of £4.95, about 5.5p a day, and Tesco regularly runs multi-buy offers on vitamins. We read this from a listing rather than taking an order through checkout, and non-Clubcard prices are usually higher.

For comparison: Wellman Original costs about 14p to 23p a day, Myprotein Alpha Men about 13p to 20p and Opti-Men about 50p to 67p. Those products add higher doses, more ingredients or men-specific branding, but none of those additions has good evidence of benefit for a man who eats reasonably.

Best alternatives

The ones we have fully reviewed are linked, and appear in the comparison cards below this article. The others we name for comparison only: we have not reviewed them in full, so do not read their inclusion as a recommendation.

• A plain 10 µg vitamin D tablet — the best alternative for most adults who eat a varied diet, since vitamin D is the one gap the NHS expects most people in the UK to have. Supermarket own-brand tablets cost a few pence a day.
• Nature Made Vitamin D3 1000 IU (reviewed) — a single-ingredient, USP-verified vitamin D at 25 µg. A US product; the point is the approach.
• Vitabiotics Wellman Original (reviewed) — a branded men’s one-a-day with 10 µg of vitamin D, but B6 just under the NHS limit, iron and token extras, at two to four times the price.
• Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men (reviewed) — a sports-shop men’s multi without iron on the European formula, at roughly ten times the daily cost.
• Tesco’s 50+ and vegan A–Z multivitamins (not yet reviewed) — Tesco sells other versions of the same idea. If you want to avoid iron, compare their panels before buying.

Who should skip it, and what to watch for

Skip it if you eat a varied diet and only need vitamin D. Men with haemochromatosis or a family history of it should avoid it because of the iron. Anyone pregnant or trying to conceive should use a pregnancy-specific supplement with 400 µg of folic acid and no vitamin A from retinol, rather than a general multivitamin.

Anyone taking prescription medicines should check with a pharmacist first: iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc can reduce the absorption of some antibiotics and thyroid medicines if taken at the same time. Keep iron-containing supplements out of reach of children, for whom iron overdose is dangerous.

Food supplements sold in Great Britain are not approved by a regulator for safety or effectiveness before sale, so the label is the manufacturer’s responsibility rather than a regulator’s endorsement.

Sources and shopping: our UK buying checklist

Before you buy, read the panel for two lines: vitamin D (ideally 10 µg) and iron (and whether you need it). If you take any other supplement, add up the vitamin A, B6 and zinc across both. The 90-tablet pack on Clubcard price or a multi-buy offer is the cheapest way to buy it.

Our commercial link for this product is our Tesco A–Z link. It earns us a commission at no extra cost to you, and it has no influence on the score above — which is a 6.0, the highest of the multivitamins we have reviewed, driven by its price and held back by weak evidence that well-fed adults benefit, amounts we could not confirm and iron most men do not need.

The fair summary is this. If you want a multivitamin, this is as good a buy as the branded ones for a fraction of the price. Whether you want one at all is the better question.