California fruit giant hit by shocking ‘highly toxic’ accusations and deception

The world’s largest berry company, Driscoll’s, is facing a consumer fraud class action lawsuit alleging that the fruit company’s strawberries contain “forever chemicals.”

The Watsonville-based berry company is accused of consumer fraud and deceptive practices in a lawsuit filed by six people living in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois. The lawsuit hinges on a laboratory report that tested two boxes of Driscoll’s strawberry and found that the produce “contained residues of 12 different pesticides at levels prohibited in the European Union, Taiwan, Chile, Korea & Russia.”

Eight of the dozen chemicals found are considered PFAS “forever chemicals,” meaning they are extremely persistent and highly toxic, the laboratory said in its report.

The case documents, reviewed by The California Post, allege the company didn’t disclose their supposedly pristine produce –– branded as “Only the Finest Berries” –– are loaded with allegedly dangerous, long-lasting “forever chemicals.”

“Driscoll’s ran an environmentally friendly campaign—greenwashing its true farming and manufacturing practices that included these forever chemicals known to be extraordinarily difficult to clean up and break down and [to] accumulate in the environment and living organisms, including humans,” the lawsuit said.

Plaintiffs Robert Berlinger, Robert Duxler, Francesca Hammersmith, Maria Khangi, Phylicia Washington, and Bianca Weins frequently purchased Driscoll’s strawberries in May and June of 2026.

They relied heavily on Driscoll’s packaging, marketing, and brand reputation, which led them to believe the strawberries were safe, high-quality, and free from harmful contaminants, according to the lawsuit.

However, they subsequently learned through news and social media that the strawberries were contaminated with PFAS-related compounds or persistent fluorinated pesticides.

The lawsuit said if they “had known the true facts concerning the strawberries, including the presence and/or use of PFAS-related compounds, they would not have purchased the products or would have paid significantly less for them.”

The berry giant refuted the accusations made in the class action lawsuit, saying that they are “without merit,” the SF Gate reported. The company’s spokesperson told the news outlet that the firm maintains “robust food safety and compliance programs.”

The consumer fraud lawsuit heavily builds upon a bombshell whistleblower complaint filed in Ventura County Superior Court last month by David Harada, Driscoll’s former Manager of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance for the U.S. and Canada. He claimed that he was wrongfully terminated after warning executives that growers were violating state, federal, and international pesticide limits.

In court documents, accessed by the Post, Harada claims that after he informed that the company was selling and exporting produce in violation of U.S. and Canadian pesticide and food safety laws, he was instructed to focus on maintaining profits and creating “plausible deniability” instead of fixing the problem.