Shopper finds needle in supermarket grape
Shopper Chloe Shaw said she found needles in grapes bought from a Victorian Aldi. Photo: Facebook
A needle spiked through a grape has reportedly been found in a Victorian supermarket, just weeks after similar suspected contamination of strawberries.
Shopper Chloe Shaw said she found the needle in grapes bought from the Aldi branch at Caroline Springs.
“Please check all your grapes before eating – especially if you’re giving them to your kids,” she wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
Ms Shaw also reported the find to the supermarket and Victoria Police, who are investigating.
“Police have been told a needle was located in a grape bought from a store in Caroline Springs on 6 October,” Victoria Police said.
“The community is reminded that anyone found to be contaminating food products can be charged with a serious indictable offence with penalties including up to 10 years in jail.”
Aldi issued a one-line statement on Monday: “Food tampering, involving the deliberate interference with food is a criminal offence and we work with authorities on all reported incidents.”
It comes a fortnight after police confirmed they were investigating needles found in strawberries bought at other Victorian supermarkets.
One needle was found in a strawberry bought in Fairfield on August 25 and reported to police on September 10.
Another strawberry bought at Eltham on September 23 had a metal spike and was reported to police the next day.
Last year, Australian strawberry growers were rocked as police across the country investigated more than 100 reports of fruit being contaminated with needles and other objects.
Many of the reports were found to be fake or copycat incidents but the scare prompted the federal government to rush through tougher penalties for so-called “food terrorists”.
-with AAP