The Australian strawberry industry is being needled - but it's no joke

@JudyEv (340216)
Rockingham, Australia
September 17, 2018 4:28am CST
The Australian strawberry industry has been rocked by the discovery of sewing needles in punnets of fruit being sold in supermarkets. Needles have been found in various brands and today Western Australia had its first reported case. This means every Australian state has now reported needles in punnets of strawberries. Affected brands have been pulled from the shelves of supermarkets with some stores pulling all brands, not just those so far found to be affected. Consumers are being asked to continue buying strawberries but to cut them in half before use. Tonnes of fruit are being dumped as producers are unable to sell their product. One can only wonder who could be stupid enough to pull a stunt like this. It is very distressing for strawberry growers and very worrying for consumers. If enough products were sabotaged in similar ways, a country could be brought to its knees.
34 people like this
35 responses
@pitstop (13806)
• Australia
17 Sep 18
Is this some people pulling off a dangerous prank?
5 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
Yes but I don't know how they are going to find out who is doing this stupid thing.
3 people like this
@pitstop (13806)
• Australia
17 Sep 18
@JudyEv it will be a lot of copycat pranksters. Have they seen CCTV camera footage?
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@pitstop I would think it would have to be a picker but they wouldn't have CCTV out in the strawberry fields.
3 people like this
@Courage7 (19633)
• United States
17 Sep 18
I had read about this Judy. It is terrible and scary what people will do. I hope no one gets injured. Terrible now all that fruit going to waste.
5 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
It will send some producers bankrupt I think. It's a dreadful thing to do.
3 people like this
@Courage7 (19633)
• United States
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv Yes it surely is, curses to whoever did it.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
17 Sep 18
I love strawberries and just put them in my mouth without thinking that somebody might have stuck something in it. The thought is really scary.
4 people like this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv It's a scary thought. Maybe I should also cut up my banana.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
I'll be cutting ours up in future. Imagine swallowing a needle.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Sep 18
@1hopefulman It's only in Australia at the moment. Hopefully no-one will copycat it overseas.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (139937)
• Philippines
17 Sep 18
That's a really scary thing. That would be a big loss for their profit.
4 people like this
• Germany
18 Sep 18
I agree with you. I hope they discontinue doing it.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (139937)
• Philippines
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv Did they able to find the culprit?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
It will ruin some of them. What a dreadful thing to do to people.
2 people like this
@arunima25 (87806)
• Bangalore, India
17 Sep 18
I am shocked to know that you have needles in between Strawberries. It is horrible.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
Some people are really sick aren't they? What a dreadful thing to do.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@arunima25 Hopefully anyone who is eating strawberries at the moment will be careful to cut them in half.
2 people like this
@arunima25 (87806)
• Bangalore, India
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv It is scary. Imagine if young children are not careful to cut in half before eating.
2 people like this
@Kasjnak (4489)
• Romania
17 Sep 18
I saw that in the news here, in Romania, they even call it "food terrorism". Those that did this are real psychopaths! I know it's gonna take a while, but I really hope the police will find them. Those people need life in prison .
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
I hope they are able to trace the culprits too. Food terrorism is a good name for it. Have you had instances of it there?
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@Kasjnak You are right and it is very worrying.
2 people like this
@Kasjnak (4489)
• Romania
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv no and I hope this thing will stop. I can't understand people that do these kind of things, what kind of twisted mind do they have? Nothing is sure in this world anymore, more and more people just enjoy destroying everything...
2 people like this
@youless (112496)
• Guangzhou, China
17 Sep 18
This is so bad. The people who made that are not stupid, but very sick. I hope they will be caught.
4 people like this
@youless (112496)
• Guangzhou, China
17 Sep 18
@JudyEv Sure, how come it can be funny? It can be a very serious hurt for the people who eat the strawberries, especially the little children. I think these people just want to take revenge to the society and they are real losers and criminals.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@youless They are obviously very sick people to be doing this.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
They are really sick. I can't imagine anyone thinking this is funny.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (180821)
• United States
17 Sep 18
That is terrible! It sounds like something that would happen here..but we have so many growers from so many places that it would be impossible to affect too much of the food supply. Score one for independent growers..I guess that is where you Australians will be getting your berries.
4 people like this
@snowy22315 (180821)
• United States
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv Psychopaths everywhere I guess!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
With luck they may be able to trace the berries back to one particular farm but it seems unlikely,
3 people like this
• China
17 Sep 18
It is a shocking thing to hear ! Obviously some people stuck the needles in the strawberries and wanted the strawberry growers to go belly up.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
It would seem so and it is likely that they will succeed in their goal.
3 people like this
• United States
17 Sep 18
Oh no, that is awful. I don't understand why people do this...
4 people like this
• United States
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv True
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
I don't understand it either. They are obviously very sick people.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (50989)
• Canada
17 Sep 18
That is such a shame! I always cut our strawberries into quarters after I wash them, so chances are I'd find something like that. But if I found just one, I'm afraid that I'd be done with them, and move on to another fruit.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
Yes if you cut the strawberry you'd find it but what a terrible thing to do.
3 people like this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
17 Sep 18
wow!how horrible there.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
Yes, it's a dreadful thing to do.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (106396)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Sep 18
I just would not buy any to be safe. You never know what was on the needle also.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
A friend facebooked that he will eat a punnet a day till they catch these sickos. He thinks we should be supporting the poor producers who could go bankrupt through this. But I know what you're saying.
1 person likes this
@august18 (3907)
• Tunisia
17 Sep 18
That's really terrible !
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
It is. I can't believe people would be so cruel and horrible.
3 people like this
@vandana7 (100302)
• India
18 Sep 18
Strange..so is the strawberry plant manufacturing sewing needles naturally or did somebody deliberately do that to strawberries in one farm. Wouldn't the punnets corrode the needle for as long as it stays there, resulting in some harmful toxins? It is, after all, slightly acidic. Then too, when they are sent to make jams what will happen will jam bottles have those needles...I would try to identify the common farm from where the berries came.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (100302)
• India
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv Some people can be so crazy...if a child had eaten and hurt himself or herself...
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
Someone has deliberately put the needles into the strawberries. They have recalled all the punnets so I don't think we'll be finding needles in any jam.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@vandana7 It is very, very sick behaviour.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
17 Sep 18
The ones who did it are probably sellers or growers of fruits that competes with strawberries in the market, just my wild businessman guess.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Sep 18
But surely they must realise that everyone will stop buying strawberries regardless of where they come from so their own pockets will be hit.
2 people like this
@mesbakh (2284)
• Indonesia
18 Sep 18
cutting before buying is terrible idea. it is horrible issue
2 people like this
@mesbakh (2284)
• Indonesia
19 Sep 18
@JudyEv yes, but strawbery is not my favourite fruit. it is nice to see, but not to eat for me
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Sep 18
@mesbakh Don't you think that it is good that we're not all the same?
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Sep 18
I think you would cut them after buying them.
@ilocosboy (45156)
• Philippines
17 Sep 18
That is bitter for a sweet fruit. The sabotage could really affect the industry and consumers will have second on buying. The question, who could have do it?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
I should think it would have to be one (or more) of the pickers. I hope they are able to find out where the needles have come from.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
@ilocosboy I know one person was taken to hospital but I haven't heard of any other injuries.
@ilocosboy (45156)
• Philippines
18 Sep 18
Are anyone victimized by the needle in the strawberry?
2 people like this
@porwest (91061)
• United States
18 Sep 18
I wonder how this sort of thing even happens. I mean, MOST food production facilities in the United States require products to go through metal detection devices. Hmm. Either way, I hope this gets sorted out and they find the maniac responsible. Remember the Tylenol cyanide thing? People have so much faith in the products they buy, but sick people can find a way around the protection measures and hurt and kill people. Sad.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
It's is really sad. I guess until now there has been absolutely no reason to put strawberries through a metal detector. It's hard to believe someone could be this sick.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Sep 18
@porwest They've now found the same thing in New Zealand.
1 person likes this
@porwest (91061)
• United States
24 Sep 18
@JudyEv Sick people apparently abound everywhere in the world. Terrible.
1 person likes this
18 Sep 18
I like strawberries. I tasted sweet strawberries here in the Philippines. I hope someday I can taste strawberries from Australia. The family of my sister is in Adelaide, Australia. If I go to visit them, I will ask from them strawberries.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
Strawberries are very popular here. At least they were until people started finding needles in them. Adelaide is a lovely city. I hope you get to go there one day.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Sep 18
@december873 They are investigating it but I don't know how they will catch them.
1 person likes this
18 Sep 18
@JudyEv that is terrible! Needles in strawberries is so bad. I hope the authorities there will do something to stop that bad activity.
1 person likes this