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MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian state of Queensland on Saturday offered a reward of 100,000 Australian dollars ($ 71,500) for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for sabotaging strawberries with sewing needles.
Police said six brands of strawberries in Australia would be contaminated with needles and pins, prompting authorities to issue warnings before eating.
"Someone is trying to sabotage the industry but also endanger the lives of babies and children and families," said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a news conference.
According to police, strawberry brands Berry Obsession, Berry Licious, Donnybrook Berries, Love Berry, Delightful Strawber and Oasis would be affected, and the tainted fruit appears to be sourced from a Queensland supplier.
Queensland is a major producer of strawberries in a national industry worth more than 130 million Australian dollars a year.
Woolworths Group has removed all the relevant brands from the shelves in its supermarkets, but continues to sell other varieties of fruit.
Strawberry prices have fallen across the country. ABC News reported on Saturday that wholesale prices were cut in half to AUD 0.50 per punnet below the cost of production in Western Australia, where strawberry crops are now at their peak.
(1 dollar = 1.3986 Australian dollar)
Reportage by Lidia Kelly; Edited by Joseph Radford
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