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Woman in Australia charged over strawberries

November 12, 2018

The September scandal forced many Australian supermarkets to pull all strawberries from their shelves, with many farmers dumping tons of the fruit. Police didn't reveal the motives behind the woman's alleged involvement.

https://p.dw.com/p/383qR
Needles in Australian strawberries
Image: Getty Images/P. Hamilton

A 50-year-old former strawberry farm supervisor was charged in an Australian court on Monday for sticking sewing needles in strawberries.

The woman was arrested Sunday after a "complex" and "extensive" investigation by Australian police. She has been charged with seven counts of contaminating goods and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

"This is a major and unprecedented police investigation with a lot of complexities involved," Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said in a statement on Sunday.

"The Queensland Police Service has allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice," Wacker added.

In September, consumers in six of Australia's eight states and territories had discovered needles hidden inside strawberries.

Read more: Australia's needle-in-strawberry scare widens

A man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after consuming strawberries. In all, there were reports of a hundred incidents around the country. One incident was also reported in neighboring New Zealand

Australien Erdbeeren mit Nadeln
Major Australian supermarket chains pulled all strawberries from their shelves in SeptemberImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/D. Peled

'Commercial terrorism'

The government of Queensland state, where the scare was first reported, had offered a 100,000 Australian dollar ($72,000, €62,000) reward for any information on those responsible.

Queensland Strawberry Growers Association Vice President Adrian Schultz dubbed it an act of "commercial terrorism" that severely hurt the multimillion-dollar industry.

"I'm angry for all the associated people, it's the farmers, the people who supply them, the packaging people, the truckies with families to support, who suddenly lose their jobs ... it's far-reaching," Schultz said.

Several strawberry growers had been forced to dump fruit in the peak of the season.

Strawberry Growers Association of Western Australia President Neil Handasyde said growers had received requests from major retailers and insurance companies to scan fruit for needles.

shs/jm (AFP, dpa)

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