Driscoll's faces lawsuit over chemical residues in berries

A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against the American soft fruit company Driscoll's in the Superior Court of Quebec. The company is accused of selling berries—including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries—that contained chemical residues exceeding Canadian maximum residue limits (MRL).

The lawsuit alleges that Driscoll's failed to inform consumers of the presence of pesticides or other chemical substances. The proposed class includes individuals who purchased Driscoll's berries in Quebec since January 1, 2022, potentially numbering in the millions.

The legal action follows claims made by former employee David Harada, who alleged that between 2022 and 2024, approximately half of the company's exports to Canada contained chemicals such as bifenthrin, iprodion, and captan in concentrations above legal limits. Harada estimated the value of the affected exports at nearly $100 million.

The complaint further alleges that Driscoll's discontinued a food safety and regulatory compliance monitoring system in 2022, despite being alerted to irregularities by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), RQA Inc., and Canadian retailers. CFIA inspections at Canadian supermarkets reportedly identified fruit with chemical levels exceeding permitted thresholds between 2022 and 2024.