Marks & Spencer has launched a new grocery initiative that will allow shoppers to order food boxes online filled with 20 household essentials.

The grocery retailer’s food boxes will cost £30 with a £3.99 delivery fee, and will be packed with items including pasta, rice, cooking sauces and even Percy Pigs.

M&S will offer the boxes in standard and vegetarian variations and will use its Sparks loyalty card data to prioritise access to customers aged over 70.

The retailer will be proactively contacting customers in its database in this demographic first and will limit availability to one box per person while it monitors demand.

This is the latest initiative by M&S to increase the accessibility of its grocery offer to vulnerable customers.

Earlier this month the grocer unveiled plans to launch a line of essential food and household items on Deliveroo for the first time to allow shoppers who are self-isolating or social distancing quick access to store cupboard essentials.

Like many grocers since coronavirus took hold in the UK over the past month, M&S has also launched dedicated shopping hours across its stores for NHS and emergency services workers and older or more vulnerable customers to shop respectively.