Horrified mother discovers three needles in a punnet of strawberries after her daughter, 10, bit down onto a sharp pin
- Chantal Faugeras said she found three needles in one punnet of strawberries
- She said she made the discovery when her daughter bit down onto the metal
- Her discovery on Wednesday comes after five similar cases in the past week
- Strawberry growers said that a disgruntled ex-employee could be responsible
A sixth case of needles being found in strawberries has come to light after a New South Wales mother discovered three pins hidden inside a punnet.
Chantal Faugeras made the discovery, which comes after five confirmed contamination cases in Queensland and Victoria, when her 10-year-old daughter bit down onto the sharp piece of metal inside a strawberry on Wednesday.
Ms Faugeras said she found a further two needles inside the punnet she had bought from Coles in Wingham after she decided to squash the others as a precaution.
A sixth case of needles being found in strawberries has come to light after a New South Wales mother said she found three pins hidden inside a punnet (one of which pictured)
Ms Faugeras notified others of the discovery in a post on Facebook on Thursday.
Commenters on Ms Faugeras’ post were grateful for the mother’s heads-up, with one saying they had just bought four packets of strawberries from the same store.
Another said the fruit were still being stocked at the Coles Wingham branch on Friday morning.
Mother Chantal Faugeras uploaded a video of her uncovering the second and third pin after her daughter had bitten down onto the first.
Queensland Police announced they had started an investigation into the contamination of strawberries on Wednesday
Another said: ‘Sent my seven-year-old with this brand of strawberries this morning. Just phoned the school after a friend had warned me and the office ladies are onto it thank god.
In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, a Coles spokesperson said they were working with their suppliers, police and health regulators to investigate the incident.
The spokesperson said: ‘The safety of our customers is our priority and anyone concerned about their health should seek medical advice.’
‘Queensland Health has warned people should cut up all strawberries before consuming them.’
The discovery comes after five other cases of needles being found in the fruit – including one on Sunday where a man was admitted to hospital after swallowing half a sewing needle.
In another case on Thursday, Queensland mother Angela Stevenson almost gave one of the contaminated fruit to her 12-month-old daughter.
Two more affected punnets were found by people in Victoria and police reported a suspected copy-cat incident on Thursday where a small steel rod was found in a punnet in Queensland.
Queensland Police announced they had started an investigation into the contamination of strawberries on Wednesday – saying they believed the ‘Berry Obsession’ and ‘Berry Licious’ brands were those worst affected.
Queensland Strawberry Growers Association said on Wednesday they suspected ‘a disgruntled ex-employee’ may be behind the spate of incidents.
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