Australians are sharing strawberry recipes on social media to fight back against the economic impact of the contamination crisis for farmers.
Strawberry tarts, strawberry jam, and simply cutting the fruits before consumption are being touted as alternatives to throwing them away.
“I will continue to support the strawberry industry. So I’ll be breaking out our secret family strawberry recipes and posting as many as I can,” Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington wrote on Facebook, alongside a handwritten recipe for strawberry jam.
Strawberry sales have dropped across the country after sewing needles were found embedded inside some of the fruits, raising fears of ‘intentional’ contamination.
At least seven brands have had their products pulled from supermarket shelves, leading to mass dumping from suppliers into ‘strawberry graveyards.’
Stephanie Chheang, who claims to be the daughter of the owner of Donnybrook Berries, shared a video showing mounds of discarded strawberries.
“This is no doubt the worst thing to ever happen to my family,” she wrote on Facebook.
“[My family] work hard to make the money for our family and to have these selfish individuals destroy it is just so upsetting.”
Please visit Mandarin page to find strawberry jam recipe.