Queensland Police have charged a farm worker over the strawberry contamination that triggered a nationwide food crisis.
A Caboolture woman who allegedly had been an employee of the Berrylicious strawberry farm in Caboolture north of Brisbane working as a supervisor, has been refused bail.
The arrest comes after a protracted investigation into the sabotage of three Queensland strawberry brands and the 50-year-old woman was charged with seven counts of aggravated contamination of goods which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud welcomed the news and congratulated Queensland Police for their hard work and for “keeping at it long after the media attention died down”.
“The needles-in-strawberries scandal has cost our farmers millions during tough times,” the minister said.
“Summer and Christmas are important times of year for strawberry growers and I hope news of an alleged offender being charged also brings growers some mental relief.”
Queensland's strawberry industry collapsed during the growing season this year, with thousands of strawberries dumped as shops and supermarkets pulled the fruit from shelves.
