Co-op has announced plans to commit to only selling 100 per cent British strawberries, marking the fourth consecutive year as the first retailer to do so.

The convenience store retailer is set to exclusively source from UK farms, with the homegrown berries coming to shelves in stores this week in time for St George’s Day.

The move is part of Co-op’s commitment to support British seasonal produce and help build longer-term resilience and food security.

This comes as consumer demand for British strawberries continues to rise, with Co-op nearly doubling the percentage of strawberries being sold this year compared to last year’s volumes by 98 per cent.

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Co-op senior buying manager Emily Young said: “We’re proud to champion homegrown and seasonal fruit and veg on offer across our stores and work incredibly closely with our producers and growers to extend the UK season as much as possible, which is why we’re thrilled to be switching to be 100% British strawberries before anyone else for the fourth year running.”

According to the business, there was an investment by growers in techniques to help protect and advance crops and receive an early supply.

Co-op’s range this year will consist of three variants as well as a premium offer with prices starting from £2.60.

The convenience retailer’s stores in Scotland will exclusively sell Scottish-grown strawberries once the season commences.