Strawberry shortage to hit Victoria, but not a case of sabotage

Supermarket chains and fruit shops are struggling to fill their shelves with strawberries, the latest hit for fans of the berry after shocking sabotage last year. This is why.

Victorians can expect a shortage of strawberries, but this time it has nothing to do with sabotage.

Supermarket chains and fruit shops will struggle to stock their shelves with the tasty fruit in coming weeks after growing regions across Australia have been hit by cold and wet weather.

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A Woolworths spokeswoman said the berries would be scarce in coming weeks.

“Due to the recent cold, wet weather in the growing regions of Victoria and South Australia, we can confirm we are currently seeing an impact on supply of strawberries in Queensland, Victoria and West Australia,” she said.

“We expect the supply to improve in the coming weeks.

Jasper, 4, tucks into some strawberries, which are set to become a rare fruity treat. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

“We will continue to work with our local growers and suppliers to monitor the situation closely.

“At Woolworths, we’re committed to providing our customers with great quality products at a great price. We’re proud of our fresh food credentials, with 96 per cent of all our fruit and vegetables sourced from Australia.”

The shortage was first noticed when signs appeared in some Victorian shops alerting customers to the dwindling supply.

The latest problems come after a bad few years for strawberry farmers following the needle crisis last year when some punnets of strawberries were deliberately contaminated.

Cases were reported across the country, including in Western Australia and Tasmania, leading to the fruit being removed from shelves — and heartbroken growers were forced to destroy tonnes of fruit.

The scare prompted a nationwide manhunt for the original culprits as well as copycats.

The federal government then moved to address future scares, urgently introducing laws including increasing the maximum jail time for tampering with food from 10 to 15 years.

The crisis wiped $12 million from the farm gate value in Queensland and also affected producers in southern states.

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