British strawberries double in weight but experts say they don't taste as good

20 August 2023 , 17:28

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Expert say the taste and texture isn't as good (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Britain's strawberries have ballooned in weight over the past 12 years - at the cost of their flavour.

The average weight has increased by 60 per cent, with supermarkets saying shoppers prefer supersized strawberries. But experts say neither the taste nor the texture is as good, because the sugars are less concentrated.

S&A Group in Hereford, the UK’s largest independent strawberry supplier, said its strawberries had increased from an average weight of 13.6g in 2011 to 21.5g this year. This corresponds to an average diameter of 23mm to 25mm in 2011 and 27m to41mm this year.

Shoppers prefer supersized strawberries (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Other berries have followed the trend for bigger fruit, with raspberry sizes doubling in the past two decades. Meanwhile British blueberries have trebled in size over the same period as agronomists “cultivate more desirable varieties”, according to the industry body British Berry Growers.

Dan Warburton