Strawberry crisis spreads with overseas stores pulling Aussie fruit from shelves
Nervous growers are weighing up their farming futures as the strawberry contamination crisis forces New Zealand’s major supermarkets to stop selling the fruit from Australia.
Fears over needles placed in strawberries have now spilled across the Tasman, with both of New Zealand’s major food distributors taking the fruit off their shelves.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has also ordered the food safety watchdog to investigate Queensland’s handling of the strawberry spiking saga.
He’s directed Food Standards Australia New Zealand to investigate whether there are supply chain weaknesses or systemic changes needed.
“At the end of the day, the job is very, very clear. Protect the public and keep them safe,” he told the ABC on Monday.
Both Foodstuffs and Countdown (owned by Woolworths), which between them control nearly the entire New Zealand grocery market, on Monday announced they had stopped sending out Australian strawberries to their stores.
In separate statements, both said while none of their products had been affected by a major recall in Australia, they wanted to reassure customers.
Countdown said it had stopped ordering any further imports of Australian strawberries, while Foodstuffs had halted distribution.
On Monday, Queensland Police said they were investigating an incident where a metal object was reportedly found inside a banana.
Authorities said a 62-year-old was helping with inquiries into the alleged contamination of a banana in a Maryborough supermarket.
New Zealand to replace Aussie strawberries
New Zealand imports the fruit from Australia when it’s out of season, from April to September, and both chains say the Kiwi product will be on shelves shortly instead.
The announcement comes as needles were found inserted into more strawberries in South Australia and NSW over the weekend, adding to incidents across the country and prompting fears of copycat behaviour.
Vice-president of the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association, Adrian Schultz, said what started with a single act of “commercial terrorism” has brought a multi-million-dollar industry to its knees.
“I’m angry for all the associated people, it’s the farmers, the people who supply them, the packaging people, the truckies with families to support, who suddenly lose their jobs … it’s far-reaching,” he said.
Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne said he understands why New Zealanders are baulking at Australian strawberries.
He urged authorities to throw the book at whoever was responsible.
“I hope we catch them and prosecute them and they spend a lot of time behind bars, because that’s what they deserve,” Mr Pyne said.
“They have behaved shockingly badly and they are affecting the strawberry industry in Australia but also now the exports to New Zealand.”
Nationals frontbencher Andrew Broad has blasted the culprits as “low-life scum”.
Coles and Aldi supermarkets have pulled all strawberries from their shelves, except Western Australia, as a precaution.
Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Donnybrook Berries have recalled their strawberries nationwide.
A health warning to throw out or cut up strawberries remains in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
ALDI working to get strawberries back on shelves
Supermarket ALDI said it’s been working with strawberry growers and other officials to get the fruit back in stores.
An ALDI Australia spokesperson told Yahoo7 in a statement after speaking with Queensland Health, the supermarket has decided to “return a selection of strawberries back to shelves as soon as the orders can be fulfilled and distributed”.
On Sunday, ALDI Australia said it had been forced to remove all strawberries from shelves in Queensland, NSW, ACT, South Australia and Victoria.
“The food waste associated with this matter is significant and has been unavoidable,” the spokesperson said.
“We are actively working with our valued primary producers and the supporting supply chain to do what we can to minimise the impact and cost of the recent withdrawals.”
It added the safety of customers has been the “leading concern throughout this matter” and is encouraging shoppers to chop up their strawberries before eating them.
With AAP
