Whistleblower Alleges Driscoll's Shipped Chemically Tainted Fruit to Canada
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A former manager claims millions of pounds of berries exceeded safety limits between 2022 and 2024, while the CFIA confirms finding non-compliant chemical levels.
A whistleblower lawsuit filed in California alleges, as CBC News first reported, that Driscoll's shipped millions of pounds of fruit to Canada containing pesticides and chemicals that exceeded Canadian safety levels between 2022 and 2024. David Harada, the former manager of food safety and regulatory compliance for the U.S. and Canada at Driscoll's, claims in the suit that approximately 50% of shipments to Canada during that period contained non-compliant fruit.
According to reporting by CBC News, Harada alleges that he reported pesticide over-application and safety concerns to upper management starting in 2022 but was told he would have to manage the issues. Harada is suing the company for unlawful retaliation, claiming he was being positioned as a "scapegoat" for these compliance failures.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed to CBC News that inspections of Driscoll's berries sold in Canadian grocery stores between 2022 and 2024 revealed chemical levels above legal limits, specifically identifying the insecticides and fungicides captan, iprodione, and bifenthrin. Despite these findings, the CFIA stated that the inspections did not result in recalls, noting that investigations were closed after corrective actions were implemented or based on the magnitude of the health risk.
The CFIA further told CBC News that the presence of the Driscoll's brand does not prove non-compliances originated from a single source. While some investigations were prompted by complaints of chemical smells or reported illnesses, the CFIA stated that such illnesses could not be definitively linked to the berries. Health Canada is responsible for issuing recalls if a product is determined to pose an unacceptable health risk.