Growers urge care if eating berries

TORQUAY market organisers are urging residents not to boycott strawberries amid a health scare.

Operators of Torquay Farmers’ Market Facebook page, including Surf Coast Mayor David Bell, have shared a social media post calling on strawberry eaters to cut open the fruit to check for needles instead of avoiding them altogether.

The market regularly stocks strawberries, however, growers say the summer fruit is not yet in season in Victoria and will not be grown in the region until mid-October.

Victoria’s deputy Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said people who have strawberries in their fridge should cut them before eating them.

“If a needle is found in a strawberry, people should take it to the Victorian police,” Dr Sutton said.

“The best advice for people with strawberry brands that have not previously been contaminated is that they can eat them if they’re comfortable to do so, but cut them before consuming.”

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young confirmed Berry Licious, Berry Obsession and Donnybrook branded strawberries were the only three brands that had confirmed contaminations.

All six states have received reports of contaminated berries since Queensland police announced their investigation into the sabotage almost two weeks ago. West Australian police confirmed a fifth incident there yesterday after a primary school student bit into a strawberry with a needle inside.

At least one Queensland grower and another in Western Australia will install metal detectors to check produce.