Whistleblower alleges millions of Driscoll’s berries sent to Canada with excess chemical levels

A pack of Driscoll’s raspberries sold in Montreal. A whistleblower lawsuit is alleging millions of pounds of the company's fruit containing non-compliant levels of pesticides and chemicals crossed the border into Canada, and the company tried to cover it up. (Gloria Henríquez/CBC News - image credit) Driscoll's berries are on many Canadians' plates and all over Canadian grocery stores, with their tagline claiming to be "only the finest berries."

But a whistleblower lawsuit in California alleges the finest berries were not sent to Canada: instead, millions of pounds of fruit containing non-compliant levels of pesticides and chemicals crossed the border, and the company tried to cover it up.

California resident and former Driscoll's employee David Harada claims in the lawsuit that by Driscoll's own estimates, about 50 per cent of all shipments to Canada from 2022 to 2024 had fruit that exceeded Canadian safety levels.