Retailers across Australasia are removing strawberries from their shelves as more cases of contamination emerge.
Following the discovery of sewing needles in selected brands of the fruit early last week, leading Australian retailer Coles has withdrawn all Queensland-grown strawberries in its stores across the country, except Western Australia.
Discount retailer Aldi has removed all strawberries from stores across Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, South Australia and Victoria, while New Zealand retail group Foodstuffs – which manages the Four Square, New World and PaknSave chains – have stopped procuring Australian strawberries.
The retailers’ actions come as the needle scare deepens, with needle-ridden fruit now found in six Australian states and territories. Western Australia and the Northern Territory are the only regions where detections are yet to be made.
To date, almost all contaminated berries have come from south-east Queensland, Australia’s major hub for strawberry production at this time of year. One case has involved strawberries grown in Western Australia, prompting fears of copycat behaviour.
Eight separate brands have been caught up in the matter so far.
“It appears the punnets of strawberries were interfered with between the time they were packed and the time they were purchased,” according to a statement released by the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association on Friday. “Retailers have subsequently removed from sale all stock identified as having potential risk.”
The association said the “spiteful incidents” had been “extremely disheartening and troubling” for its members, who strive to ensure the “quality, security and freshness” of their fruit. It urged consumers to keep purchasing Queensland strawberries while taking a simple precautionary measure.
“For peace of mind purchasers of fresh strawberries have been advised to take the simple precaution of cutting the fruit in half before eating,” the release added.
