K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following insect infestion alert is from the Vaad of Denver on August 1, 2012.

Blueberries: (per the Va'ad HaKashrus of the Five Towns) Thrips can be found on the top of the berry near the hole.
What to do: Until recently, cultivated premium blueberries (Grade A) were able to be used without any special preparation. However, blueberries have been found, both in the U.S. and in Eretz Yisrael, to have thrips on the top of the blueberry near the hole. Therefore, the following simple process should be followed:
Steps for Cleaning Blueberries

1. Fill up a large receptacle with water and a soapy solution. The receptacle should be large enough to accommodate the amount of product you are using and still enable you to vigorously agitate the berries as described below. The amount of soapy solution should be enough to make the water feel slippery and be "sudsy".
2. The product should be completely submerged in the water and allowed to soak for three minutes.
3. Vigorously agitate the berries in the soapy solution.
4. Remove the blueberries from the receptacle, place them in a colander and rinse them very thoroughly, making sure the stream of water reaches all the berries.
5. No further inspection is necessary.

Note: These steps are for premium blueberries (Grade A) and to the exclusion of wild blueberries that can be found in the country or other similar areas which can be infested with insects.