Not necessarily. If you soaked fresh berries (especially raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries) in salt water and saw tiny white, wiggling larvae come out, they are often fruit fly larvae that were already inside the fruit. They can be difficult to see until the salt solution causes them to emerge.
Here’s what to know:
- It’s unpleasant, but it isn’t usually a food safety emergency. These larvae are generally not known to cause illness if accidentally eaten.
- You don’t automatically need to throw the berries away. If the berries are otherwise fresh (no mold, bad smell, or slimy texture), you can:
- Discard any berries that are heavily infested or damaged.
- Rinse the remaining berries thoroughly under running water.
- Use them promptly, or cook them (for example, in jam, muffins, or sauce) if you prefer.
You should throw the berries away if:
- They have visible mold.
- They are mushy, slimy, or have an off odor.
- There are large numbers of larvae throughout the container and you’re not comfortable eating them.
To reduce the chance of this happening in the future:
- Refrigerate berries as soon as you get them home.
- Wash them just before eating rather than before storing.
- Buy berries that look firm and free of mold or damaged fruit.
Finding larvae is understandably off-putting, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the berries are unsafe. It mainly indicates that insects laid eggs in the fruit before it was harvested.
