September 15, 2018
The State Government is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the current strawberry contamination incident.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the reward was an extra incentive to bring the incident to a rapid conclusion.
“Whoever is behind this is not just putting families at risk across Queensland and the rest of Australia – they are putting an entire industry at risk,” the Premier said.
“I would urge anyone with information that may be relevant to this incident in any way to contact police as soon as possible.
“Anyone who believes they or a member of their family may have eaten a needle should urgently speak to their doctor or call 13 HEALTH.”
Two brands of strawberries – Berry Obsession and Berrylicious have already been withdrawn from sale, and a third brand, Donnybrook Berries, is being removed from sale.
Queensland supplies the winter production of strawberries for Australia from May to October, with some contribution to summer production from the Stanthorpe region.
There are about 150 strawberry growers in Queensland, with most production around Dayboro, Beerwah, Wamuran, Elimbah, Caboolture, Stanthorpe and Bundaberg.
Queensland growers produce 6-15,000 tonnes of fruit per season, ie. up to 60 million punnets of strawberries worth an estimated $160 million.
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Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young has confirmed that “Berry Licious”, “Berry Obsession” and “Donnybrook” strawberries are the three brands that have confirmed contaminations.
“All reports of contaminations are being fully investigated, but no other brands are being withdrawn at this time,” Dr Young said.
“We are working closely with our local and interstate counterparts as the investigation continues and are committed to keeping the public informed as this progresses.
“Work is underway with retailers nationwide to ensure that all Donnybrook branded strawberries are removed from sale,” Dr Young said.
“The initial brands affected by the contamination, Berry Licious and Berry Obsession, have already been removed from sale and are no longer in market.
“If you still have Berry Licious, Berry Obsession and Donnybrook branded strawberries at home, or are unsure of the brand, you should return them to the store or throw them away.
“For all other brands, our advice remains that you can continue to eat strawberries, but you should cut them up before eating.”
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