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Strawberries, Farmers, and Food Safety:
A Message from North American Strawberry Growers

A message from the North American Strawberry Growers Association

 

Strawberries are a favorite food enjoyed by families across North America. Strawberry season is a special time of year when people visit local farms, create lasting memories picking fruit with loved ones, or simply stop by their grocery store to purchase a container of fresh berries for their next snack or meal.

Behind every strawberry is a grower who takes tremendous pride in producing a high-quality, delicious, nutritious, and safe product. When headlines raise concerns about strawberries being described as "poisoned" or "cancer-causing," growers pay attention as well. After all, this is not only their livelihood—it is also the food they feed their own families.

The vast majority of strawberry farms across North America are small, family-owned operations. Many have been growing strawberries for generations, caring for the same land year after year while continuously adopting new technologies, improving farming practices, and seeking more sustainable ways to grow food. Their goal is not only to produce exceptional strawberries today, but to pass their farms and their passion for agriculture on to the next generation.

In many cases, growers and their families are among the first people to eat the fruit harvested from their fields and often consume more strawberries than anyone else. No farmer would intentionally grow food that could harm their family, employees, customers, or community.

Like all crops, strawberries face challenges from insects, diseases, weeds, and environmental stresses. The same qualities that make strawberries appealing to consumers—their sweetness, aroma, and bright red color—also make them attractive to pests. To address these challenges, growers use proven, science-based approaches to protect crops from pests and diseases.

Healthy plants produce healthy fruit. Modern agriculture combines science, innovation, environmental stewardship, and food safety to ensure consumers have access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food. Strawberry growers continually seek ways to reduce inputs, improve sustainability, and adopt new technologies that benefit both the environment and the communities they serve. This includes carefully monitoring fields for pests before they become a problem, using beneficial insects and other biological methods to control pests when possible, and utilizing practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting to improve soil health and help break pest and disease cycles. Every decision is made with consideration for consumer safety, worker safety, and environmental stewardship.

Today, only a small percentage of North Americans work directly in agriculture, and fewer people have a direct connection to farming or an understanding of where their food comes from. As that gap widens, it becomes easier for misinformation and misunderstandings about food production to take hold. We encourage everyone to get to know their local strawberry growers, visit a farm, and learn more about how their food is produced. The relationship between farmers and consumers is built on trust, and strawberry growers are proud of the work they do every day to earn that trust.

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact us.