The problem of contaminating strawberries has the federal government working up new legislation to punish the "cowards" and "grubs" with fines and prison time.

"It's not a joke, it's not funny," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Mr. Morrison wants to boost the maximum jail time for those found guilty of contaminating food from 10 to 15 years.

"You are putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk and you are scaring children, and you are a coward and a grub," he said, "Some idiot, for his own reasons, has engaged in an act of sabotage it would seem, and that has put all of that risk for these people out there having a go."

The federal government has also announced $1 Million in funding to help strawberry growers, matching a commitment from the Queensland state government.

"We are wanting to see more food safety officials on the ground to work with our state and territory counterparts to make sure when they request a recall, that we fast-track that and that we're absolutely investing in increased methods of detection," said Federal Minister for Regional Services Bridget McKenzie.