MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Needles have been found inside strawberries in two more Australian states, police said on Monday, broadening a health scare that has caused supermarkets to recall brands and farmers to dump fruit amid the peak growing season.
One man in the state of Western Australia and a girl in South Australia reported finding needles in their strawberries in the past two days, according to police.
Seven brands of strawberries in Australia are now believed to be contaminated with needles and pins, according to police reports, prompting warnings from authorities to slice the fruit before eating.
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters on Monday that it was unclear if the contamination was the result of a single person acting alone or several people acting independently and that tracing back through the complex supply chain was taking time.
Consumers in Queensland were the first to report finding needles embedded inside strawberries.
"A member of the public today presented at York Police Station to report his concerns that a needle had been in a punnet of strawberries," the Western Australian police said in a statement.
"The member of the public advised he located the needle in his sink after preparing strawberries for his family. He did not recall the needle being in the sink prior to preparing the strawberries."
South Australian police meanwhile said that they were advising members of the public to check punnets of Mal's Black Label strawberries following a report of a needle found inside the fruit on Sunday morning.