Woolworths has stopped selling sewing needles in a bid to prevent saboteurs using them to spike strawberries and other fruit.
The supermarket giant literally pulled the pin following the crises across Australia which saw several fruits tampered with.
‘We’ve taken the precautionary step of temporarily removing sewing needles from sale in our stores. The safety of our customers is our top priority,’ a Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Woolworths has stopped selling sewing needles in a bid to prevent saboteurs using them to spike strawberries and other fruit
The supermarket giant literally pulled the pin following the crises across Australia which saw several fruits tampered with
More than 100 reports of tampered fruit are being investigated by police across the country, many of which are thought to be fake or copycat cases.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they are not yet considering removing the sale of needles from their stores.
‘Not at this stage,’ they said.
It comes as a young boy was arrested on Wednesday after admitting he put needles in strawberries as a ‘prank’.
NSW detectives announced the arrest of the boy on Wednesday afternoon, after earlier revealing the contamination crisis across the country being entirely the work of copycats and pranksters.
People have also claimed of finding needles in bananas and apples.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said the arrest had been made in the past few days.
‘Obviously in the last few days we found a young person has admitted to a prank, including putting needles in strawberries,’ Mr Smith said.
Current state legislation says any NSW offenders will spend a maximum of 10 years in prison.
However, Mr Smith says the young boy will now be dealt with under the ‘youth cautioning system’.
He also announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of anyone who’s contaminated fruit in NSW.
At least 13 people have gone public about finding needles in their strawberries since a man was rushed to hospital on September 9
At least 13 people have gone public about finding needles in their strawberries since a man was rushed to hospital on September 9.
Tougher penalties for contaminating fruit were announced earlier on Wednesday.
‘Some idiot, for his own reasons, or her own reasons, has engaged in an act of sabotage,’ prime minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
‘Now any idiot who thinks they can go out into a shopping centre and start sticking pins in fruit and thinks this is some sort of lark or something… that sort of behaviour is reckless and under the provision we will be seeking to introduce swiftly, that type of behaviour would carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.’
Under Mr Morrison’s new laws, anyone found guilty of contaminating food would face a maximum of 15 years in jail.
‘It’s not a joke, it’s not funny. You are putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk, and you are scaring children… and you’re a coward and a grub,’ he said.
‘This is a shocking and cowardly thing for this individual and others who have jumped onto the bandwagon here to have engaged in.’
‘Some idiot, for his own reasons, or her own reasons, has engaged in an act of sabotage,’ prime minister Scott Morrison said
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised to stand shoulder to shoulder with farmers.
‘It is beyond belief that anybody would deliberately sabotage fruit to try and harm people in the process, harm our hardworking fruit farmers and the industry,’ she told parliament.
‘This is a disgusting act designed to instil fear in consumers and to undermine our agricultural industry.’
It has also been reported Australian Federal Police were following up on as many as 100 leads, majority of which are anticipated to be copycats or hoaxes.