AS the strawberry sabotage crisis widened to several states, the Federal Government announced new measures for the export of the berries.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources announced it was implementing interim control measures for the export of fresh strawberries, following the finding of needles in two brands.
From September 19, a nil tolerance of metal contaminants in fresh strawberries will be enforced by the department to mitigate the risk of these entering the export supply chain.
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“This is in response to a number of reported detections of metal contaminants in the fruit,” it said. “In order for strawberry export permits to be approved, exporters will be required to provide assurance to the department that their consignment is free from metal contaminants.
“Interim control measures can include an assurance that the fruit will go through an effective metal screening process (metal detectors/X-ray) prior to export, or on-farm metal screening with measures to ensure product security has been maintained post screening.
“Visual inspection alone is not an acceptable measure.
“These measures apply to fresh strawberry exports to all markets, and will remain in place until the risk of metal contaminants has been appropriately managed. Industry has been advised of these changes, along with relevant state and territory authorities.”
John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
