Straw blimey! Study finds the average weight of strawberries has soared by 60% in just 12
- S&A Group says strawberries have risen from 13.6g in 2011 to 21.5g this year
- Raspberries have doubled and blueberries have trebled in size in same period
- But Peter Judge, of S&A Group, says bigger fruit don’t always deliver flavour
The average weight of Britain’s favourite berry has soared by 60 per cent in the past 12 years, it has been reported.
Strawberries have risen from 13.6g in 2011 to 21.5g this year, S&A Group, the UK’s largest independent supplier, said.
The average diameter has also boomed, from 23mm-25mm in 2011 to 27mm-41mm in 2023.
Reflecting customer demand, other berries have followed the trend, with typical raspberry sizes doubling in the past two decades and British blueberries trebling in size over the same period, The Times reported.
The increases come as agronomists cultivate ‘more desirable varieties’, according to the industry body British Berry Growers.
Strawberries have risen from 13.6g in 2011 to 21.5g this year, S&A Group, the UK’s largest independent supplier, said
Other berries have followed the trend, with typical raspberry sizes doubling in the past two decades and British blueberries trebling in size over the same period
And those who bought British strawberries and raspberries this summer might have found them more flavoursome than usual, reportedly because of slower ripening in this year’s cool spring.
Peter Judge, group managing director of S&A Group, told the paper: ‘UK retailers believe bigger berries are what the consumers want, but it is fair to say they don’t always deliver flavour.
‘We have a variety called Lady Isla, which is actually a small berry but is our best-flavoured strawberry. It’s not always the case that big berry equals big flavour.’
The commercial pressure to grow larger fruit came from UK consumers and was at odds with preferences on the Continent, the S&A Group said.
But supermarkets ask that suppliers do not pack punnets with strawberries more than 45mm across because customers want value for money.
Nick Marston, the chairman of British Berry Growers, added: ‘This size spec increase is about allowing customers to waste less fruit when hulling the strawberries and giving nicer-sized pieces if the berries are cut up.
‘It is also about visual appeal – good-size ‘bold’ fruit does appeal to consumers more than a pack of a very large number of very small berries.’