'Hundreds of needles' hidden in strawberries as supermarkets terrorised by saga

30 December 2023 , 08:38

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One of the contaminated strawberries hiding a small needle (Image: 9 News)

On a hot summer’s day there can sometimes be little better than tucking into a punnet of delicious strawberries - but in 2018 a scare caused hundreds of thousands to be destroyed.

Tiny needles were discovered in the juicy red treats in states across Australia, causing a panic among shoppers. Several people ended up in A&E after swallowing the tiny menaces and overall more than 200 cases were reported amid a nationwide probe to find those responsible. Queensland state government offered a $100,000 - about £55,000 - reward for information. A number of brands including Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Donnybrook Berries have been pulled from the shelves, and supermarkets Aldi and Australia's Coles stopped selling the fruit. Police warned those buying strawberries to check punnets before eating and report any needles found.

A truck dumping thousands of strawberries in Australia at the time (9 News)

Stephanie Chheang, whose mother and stepfather ran a Donnybrook Berries said of the incident at the time: “This is no doubt the worst thing to ever happen to my family. This here is a video of our strawberries being dumped, this here is worth more than you could ever imagine and within three days we lost it all.

"My mum Leena Lee Cufari and my step dad worked years to build the empire they’re sitting on now, they put all their money and effort into build such a successful business. They work hard to make the money for our family and to have these selfish individuals destroy it is just so upsetting.

"My mum works day through to the night, controlling the shed and her 250 employees, making sure her strawberries are packed to perfection. This will not stop my family from doing what they do best, if anything they’re going to do better. I thank everyone who supports us and all the other farmers who were affected by this horrible issue. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

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A government update on the fruits (9 News)

Brisbane resident Joshua Gane explained on social media how a friend ended up in A&E after swallowing a needle. He wrote: "Posting this as a warning to anyone that has bought strawberries from Woolworths recently.

"Driving up to the coast when Hoani van Dorp bites through a strawberry and swallows half a sewing needle. We then checked the other strawberries and found another sewing needle lodged inside one of them. We are now at the ER because he subsequently started experiencing severe abdominal pain."

In November 2018 police arrested My Ut Trinh, a 50-year-old farm supervisor and charged her with seven counts of contaminating goods. However before her trial all charges were dropped.

Antony Clements-Thrower