The devastating impact of Australia’s strawberry sabotage story has been revealed as growers are forced to throw out truckloads of perfectly good fruit. Stephanie Cheans shared a video of mountains of her plump berries produced by her family’s business, Donnybrook Berries, that would be left to rot.
Ms Cheans said watching the strawberries being dumped was “the worst thing to ever happen to my family”. She said the load was worth more than anyone could imagine, and the family lost it all in just three days because the markets would not accept them. Donnybrook Berries was one of the brands impacted by needle contamination.
Queensland Health confirmed strawberries from the company, the company which supplies to supermarkets nationwide from its farms north of Brisbane, had been found contaminated with sewing needles.
In an attempt to remedy the dwindling sales, Canning Vale market agent Allstates Farms, which supplies about one-third of WA’s strawberries to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA on behalf of local farmers, has installed metal detection equipment at a cost of $30,000.
Quality control manager Manjeet Singh said it hoped to restore consumer confidence and protect WA’s 50 strawberry growers, who were on the brink of ruin as sales plunged.
“Strawberries are scanned and it will stop if there is any metal present,” he said. “It means people can buy these strawberries with confidence. “All existing stock and new stock coming in will all be going through the scanner, punnet by punnet, tray by tray, then each tray will be sealed with a security sticker. We are doing what we can to support our growers and restore confidence to get people eating strawberries again.”
Also, reports have emerged that a needle has been discovered inside an apple purchased at a NSW supermarket. Described by police as an “isolated incident”, the claims are being investigated by relevant health and police authorities.
Apple and Pear Australia Ltd’s Executive Team has been in contact with major retailers and other key stakeholders. APAL will continue to monitor the situation closely, advising as further details and guidance comes to light.
