Strawberry sales have bounced back after a week that featured dumped strawberries, social media-driven strawberry recipe campaigns and strong support from state and federal leaders for the industry.

The result has been a surge in sales for strawberry growers after the previous disastrous week, which featured new reports of sabotaged strawberries and mixed messages from government agencies.

At the beginning of the week, wholesalers were selling strawberries for $3 a box when they would normally get $16 a box.

Cars queue at a pick-your-own strawberry farm in Queensland. ( ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols )

They were cancelling orders from growers around the country, who were in turn forced to dump their produce.

The lower prices and support for farmers sent consumers on a buying spree later in the week, with many reports of outlets selling out.

Coles reported a big spike in demand late on Thursday.

A company spokesperson said, "We've been delighted to see customers buying strawberries and at some stores the demand has been so great we've sold out."

The spokesperson said the company was working hard to get more strawberries in all stores "so customers can continue to support Aussie farmers".



Customers have also been queuing at pick-your-own operations around the country as demand surges in that sector as well.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence and Gavin Scurr from Pinata Farms inspect metal detector technology. ( ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols )

Growers suffer big losses

Meanwhile, the Queensland Premier inspected new safety equipment on a farm in that state.

Annastacia Palaszczuk visited Pinata Farms at Wamuran where grower Gavin Scurr has just installed metal detectors.

He has lost $25,000 a week since the crisis began and his total losses are close to $250,000.

A West Australian grower has reportedly lost about $200,000 this week, equating to about $10 a box.

But now, John Antico, from wholesaler Sinclair and Antico at Sydney Markets, sold out of strawberries on Friday morning and was ordering more pallets from growers across the country.

Wholesaler Tom Cave also sold out as demand tripled from the low volumes he was selling early in the week.

He is grateful for the big turnaround.

"I just want to say thank you to Australia for really caring about our food industry."

'Devastating and disturbing' situation

Mr Cave and his family have worked in the Sydney wholesale market for generations.

He said he had never seen it so bad.

"It's definitely been the hardest we've seen strawberry sales and we've been selling them for 50 years."

A case of strawberry tampering was reported in Orange this week. ( Supplied: Sinclair and Antico )

Mr Antico said the crisis had been devastating for growers, and the copycat nature of crisis had been disturbing.

"It was an act of bastardry," he said.

Mr Antico spent the middle of the week dealing with a claim by a customer in Orange, in central-west NSW, that a punnet of strawberries he supplied had a needle in it.

He is frustrated by what appear to be a large number of copycat offences, but he said Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to push for tougher penalties for food tampering offences had bolstered his spirits.

"We're definitely seeing less needles in punnets… and today is the first day in two weeks that we've sold out," he said.