A bakery boss has been forced to defend himself following a backlash for selling ‘non-binary gingerbread people’.

Social media erupted this week after people noticed a bakery in Lancashire was selling gingerbread cookies regardless of gender – traditionally known as gingerbread.

The Blackpool-based Cottage Bakery has been lambasted online as some claimed it promoted a ‘woke agenda’.

One user said: “Absolute madness. I won’t even be able to call it gingerbread anytime soon in case it offends the gingers.

Cottage Bakery boss Paul Cook said: ‘It wasn’t done to be politically correct and some people thankfully took it as a joke’

Another added: ‘Which is worse gingerbread that has no gender or people getting mad at gingerbread that has no gender? We do not care?’

Despite trolling, puzzled boss Paul Cook was more shocked that he had people took so long to notice the cookies.

He said: “I thought it would be funny and that’s how it turned out, but it took three years for someone to make a big deal out of it.”

“We started putting tags on them before Covid, but we had people come in and say it was wrong and they weren’t men.

“So I had a conversation with my printer about it and he was like, ‘Why don’t you call them non-binary?

The bakery has been selling gingerbread cookies for 20 years, but started labeling its products when ‘Natasha’s Law’ was tabled in parliament in 2019.

The law, which took effect in October 2021, requires all companies to provide full ingredient and allergen labeling on prepackaged foods for direct sale.

It followed the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a teenager who died of an allergic reaction to a Prêt à Manger baguette.

Although the bakery has been selling gingerbread cookies for 20 years, it began labeling its products when ‘Natasha’s Law’ was tabled in parliament three years ago.

Paul also told LADBible that adding “non-binary” to the labels was “not intended to upset or offend anyone.”

He continued: “The tag is on the back so they can’t see it when it’s on the counter, and most people ask for a gingerbread man.

“It wasn’t until the labels were exposed that people started making silly comments.

“It was done as a bit of a laugh because of people’s comments in the first place.

“It was not done to be politically correct and some people luckily took it as a joke.”

One user said: “Absolute madness. I won’t even be able to call it gingerbread anytime soon in case it offends the gingers