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WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A New Zealand supermarket chain has pulled out a brand of Australian strawberries from its shelves after finding needles in baskets bought at an Auckland store.
Posters for customers are displayed under Australia Strawberry packages for sale in a supermarket in the city of Mudgee, central New South Wales, Australia, September 23, 2018. REUTERS / David Gray
In Australia, police have investigated more than 100 cases of needles found in fruits in recent weeks.
The needles, which are found for the first time in strawberries produced by a supplier in the state of Queensland, in the north of the country, are now present in the country in berries and other fruits.
The New Zealand grocery chain Countdown, owned by Australia's Woolworths Limited, said in a statement Sunday that "Choice" strawberries from Western Australia would be removed "as a precautionary measure". found.
It was unclear when the contaminated berries had entered New Zealand, but last week Australia reported using metal detectors to control all strawberry exports.
New Zealand's Minister of Primary Industries Damien O'Connor said Monday it was unclear whether strawberries had been falsified in Australia or New Zealand.
"I hope no New Zealander would be such a fool," he said, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, adding that food safety officials were conducting a "thorough investigation." ".
Countdown said he was in contact with the New Zealand and Australian authorities, who were investigating the matter.
Report by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
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