Supermarket Co-op has cooked up a gender-neutral "gingerbread person" and is asking its customers to help come up with a name.

The new take on the classic human-shaped biscuit will wave goodbye to its usual "man" moniker when it arrives on store shelves, but not before it has been assigned a fitting title.

From 10 April until 1 May, Co-op is running a competition on its website to give shoppers the chance to make their mark on the sweet treat.

"Our food team is adding the final touches to a new Co-op gingerbread person, but they've yet to come up with a name," explains its website.

"They'd like members to join in and suggest a fitting name for our new little biscuity friend.


"The plan is to give our new gingerbread fellow some seasonal costume refreshes - a distinctively Christmassy look for December and something rather spooky around Halloween, for example.

"So they'll need a name that works for any time of year and is gender neutral. Join in to suggest a name.

"Our food team will create a shortlist of the ones they think will best fit the bill and we'll be back to ask you to vote for your favourite next month."

The decision to create a gender-neutral version of the gingerbread man has been questioned by some on social media, who have pelted the official Co-op Food account to make their displeasure felt.

But a spokesman for the supermarket is confident the biscuit will prove popular when it goes on sale in September.

They said: "Inclusion and diversity lie at the heart of Co-op's values and we're looking to create a character which can be used to celebrate different occasions through the year and will appeal to all our customers."