'It's been unbelievable': Strawberry farmers touched by support from community
There’s been growing support for Australia’s strawberry farmers in the wake of the fruit contamination crisis, where more than 100 pieces of fruit were found to be sabotaged with needles.
Palm View Strawberry Fields on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast was a packed house on Saturday, much to the joy of farmers, with about 500kg of the fruit sold.
“It’s been pretty horrific,” the farm’s manager Robert Edwards said of the ordeal.
“But the last couple of days people’s support has just been unbelievable.”
Hundreds also lined up at Chambers Flat Strawberry Farm in southeast Queensland to buy fruit to aid the industry following the ongoing crisis.
“We’re sharing this experience as a family, supporting the farmers and getting some delicious strawberries in the process,” one man said.
In Brisbane, Sofitel Brisbane Central unveiled a ‘Strawberry Sunday’ menu with a number of treats made from the fruit while further north, Bundaberg hosted a strawberry festival.
Nine Queensland farms have also teamed up for an event next weekend: Australia’s biggest strawberry sale, allowing residents to buy directly from them.
It follows heartbreaking video which emerged earlier this week of a truck from Queensland’s Donnybrook Strawberries filmed dumping entire loads of the wasted fruit on the ground.
Consumer confidence returning for strawberry buyers
Shoppers are beginning to buy strawberries again despite the supply chain being cut off.
Sydney Markets Con Kapellos told Sunrise truckloads of strawberries have been given to the Country Women’s Association to make jam.
Mr Kapellos added he believes buyers are returning to buying the fruit.
“They are starting to regain confidence, (and) we’re getting a lot of good publicity now,” he said.
“Obviously with what’s happened recently the supply chain has reduced the flow of the strawberries however it’s coming back now and people are more confident.”
Woman’s ‘hack’ for checking strawberries for needles
A woman’s clever ‘hack’ to check her strawberries for needles has gone viral, with her social media post being viewed and shared an estimated million times.
