The recent industrial sabotage of strawberries has brought calls from some farmers urging residents to try to buy locally grown seasonal produce.
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Last week Woolworths acknowledged authorities are investigating an alleged sewing needle found in strawberries purchased from the company’s Bega store.
The needles have been found in punnets of the berry in all Australian states, and a further case has now been reported in New Zealand.
Sapphire Coast Producers Association president Paul McMurray said the short supply chain of farmers markets provides a “lack of opportunity for tampering”.
“It’s supplied by locals, so why would they contaminate their products? The provenance of the food means you know who is growing it,” he said.
Clyde River Berry Farm grows strawberries for local farmers markets and also allows customers to pick their own berries.
The farm’s Allan Dixon described the contamination scandal as a “terrible situation”, adding it appeared most likely to be the work of a disgruntled picker.
He said industrial scale produce had created a chain where customers have no connection to pickers.
“It will make the public realise there is a cost to good quality food that is safe. We won’t be using this as a marketing advantage, but with local supply chains does come a price,” he said.
“None of the farmers here are rich, and we also have more of an emphasis on creating local jobs through buying local.”
Mr Dixon said customers will drive from Sydney to pick upwards of 40 kilograms of the berries to later freeze at home.
“It is becoming more popular for people to pick their own fruit, and the idea of tamper proof packaging also means more plastic, and we are getting away from plastic packaging.”
Far Away Farm’s Chris Aitken, who grows strawberries in Brogo to flavour a fermented cold tea known as kombucha, said he has successfully grown two varieties of the berry in the local climate.
“In season is when they are the most nutritious, and we’ve evolved to eat them at that time,” he said.