2018 Australian strawberry contamination

In a food safety crisis beginning in September 2018, numerous punnets of strawberries grown in Queensland and Western Australia were found to be contaminated with sewing needles.

On 9 September 2018, several days prior to any official announcement of contamination, a Facebook user posted a warning about Berry Obsession strawberries purchased from Woolworths Strathpine Centre in Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane.

[6] The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association initially stated they had "reason to suspect" a "disgruntled" former packing employee was responsible for the contamination.

[7] Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Terry Lawrence subsequently cast doubt upon that theory, stating "This was an earlier comment by the Strawberry Growers Association, it's something we don't subscribe to".

[17] On 18 September 2018, Senator Bridget McKenzie, the Minister for Regional Services, issued a media statement, describing the contamination as "deliberate sabotage" and urging consumers to "exercise caution and cut up their fruit before consumption.

[19] Professor Melissa Fitzgerald, a food safety expert at the University of Queensland, told the ABC she was "surprised" there had not been a consumer-level recall given the products had been sold to individual customers.

[20] Queensland Strawberry Industry Development Officer Jennifer Rowling accused "some authoritative spokespeople" of mishandling the response to the incident.

"[21] On 15 September, Suncoast Harvest farm of the Sunshine Coast announced on Facebook[22] that they were ceasing growing strawberries for the remainder of the year, resulting in job losses for 100 workers.

[29] On 17 September 2018, a 62-year-old woman suffering from a mental illness was cautioned after she allegedly contaminated a banana with a metal object at a supermarket in Maryborough, Queensland.

Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty reminded the public of the importance to report incidents of contamination and "to be vigilant and exercise caution when buying strawberries and other fruit in NSW."

[34][35][36] In the wake of the needle crisis, Foodstuffs NZ made the decision to halt the distribution of Australian strawberries in all their New Zealand stores including New World, Pak'nSave, and Four Square.