Driscoll’s Sued by Whistleblower Over Pesticide Levels in Canada

David Harada, former manager of food safety and regulatory compliance for the U.S. and Canada at Driscoll’s, filed a lawsuit in California for unlawful retaliation. Harada claims that internal estimates indicated roughly 50 percent of all shipments sent to Canada during that two-year window contained fruit exceeding legal pesticide thresholds.

“And it’s something where you start seeing it so regularly and you know that something’s not right that you have to speak up,” Harada said in an interview with CBC News.

Harada stated that he began noticing over-application issues in 2022 and immediately reported them to upper management, where he was told he would have to manage the issue. In court filings, Harada alleged he was positioned to be a scapegoat for the compliance failures.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Findings

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed to CBC News that it performed multiple inspections on Driscoll’s berries sold across Canadian grocery stores between 2022 and 2024. Those inspections detected chemical levels above legal Canadian limits, specifically identifying fungicides and insecticides such as bifenthrin, iprodione, and captan.

The regulatory body stated that investigations were also initiated following consumer complaints of a chemical taste or smell, as well as reports of suspected illness after consuming Driscoll’s blueberries. However, the CFIA noted that the reported illnesses could not be definitively linked to the berries.

“The cases you have identified involve different products, pesticide residues, importers and locations over a period of several years,” the CFIA wrote in an email to CBC News. “The presence of the Driscoll’s brand on the products does not, on its own, establish that the non-compliances originated from a single producer or source.”

The CFIA handles non-compliant food items through varying measures depending on the scale of health risk, ranging from notifications sent to producers and importers to targeted follow-up inspections. Health Canada issues formal product recalls only when a health risk is deemed unacceptable.

Evaluating Health Risks and Chemical Residues

Stéphane Bayen, an associate professor in the department of food science and agricultural chemistry at McGill University, noted that finding chemical residues above legal limits on berries occurs frequently.

“That’s not something abnormal completely, but definitely that’s not what we would like to see and we want to reduce this,” Bayen said. “Exceedance one time of the maximum residue limit might not be translated as a risk for the health of consumers. That’s where the discussion needs to happen and to make sure that this is not becoming a regular thing.”

Toxicologist Daniel Green explained that the specific concentrations of chemicals found in the CFIA-tested berries would not cause acute illness from small quantities.

“To get an effect, one would have to eat 19 kilograms,” Green said, providing an example of the volume required.

According to Green, the primary concern centers on cumulative exposure to multiple toxins derived from food and environmental sources over time.

“It is the chemical lifetime exposure experience that has to be looked at,” Green said.