Strawberry needle scare: what’s going on?
Australian fruit growers say ‘commercial terrorism’ has brought industry to its knees

Australian police have issued a public health warning after needles were found hidden in strawberries across all six of the country’s states.
Several brands of the fruit have been recalled, and “New Zealand’s biggest grocers have stopped selling Australian strawberries as a precaution”, says the BBC.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) agency to investigate the matter.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“This is a very vicious crime and it’s a general attack on the public,” he said.
How has the scare unfolded?
The strawberry industry “was plunged into chaos” just over a week ago when “a customer from Burpengary in Queensland bit into a strawberry with a needle inside it and ended up in hospital”, says Sydney-based site news.com.au.
Since then, needles or pins have been reported in strawberries in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
A boy as young as nine “was among those to make the unpleasant discovery whilst eating, although no injuries have since been reported”, reports ITV News.
Authorities say the sabotage is “putting families’ lives at risk”, and a AUD$100,000 reward has been offered for information.
Who is behind the sobotage?
Police “are still unsure if the sabotage devastating the nation’s strawberry industry is the work of a single person or several people acting independently”, The Guardian reports.
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said the investigation was complicated by the vast web of supply chains involved in producing and shipping strawberries.
“There is a range of really complex scenarios which could play out here, and we’re looking at all of them, and that’s what’s taking the time,” he said.
Police fear there may also be copycat incidents, after a 62-year-old woman with mental health difficulties was caught putting a needle in a banana in central Queensland early last week.
What have the effects been?
Growers “have expressed concerns that the scare, which has come during the peak of production, could have a negative effect on sales for an industry worth about AUD$130m a year”, says the BBC.
The vice president of the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association, Adrian Schultz, says that what started with a single “act of commercial terrorism” has now brought down a multimillion-dollar industry, putting many jobs at risk.
“I’m angry for all the associated people, it’s the farmers, the people who supply them, the packaging people, the truckies with families to support, who suddenly lose their jobs...it’s far-reaching,” he told Australia’s ABC Radio.
Strawberry prices have already dropped around the country, with prices in Western Australia now below the cost of production, according to Australian media.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Weer at Soho Theatre Walthamstow: a 'silly, seductive, slapstick joy'
The Week Recommends Natalie Palamides' 'tear-inducingly funny' one-woman show opens London's newest venue
-
Can the world stop Israel from starving Gaza?
Today's Big Question Total blockade on food and aid enters its third month, and Israel is accused of 'weaponising starvation'
-
The timely revival of watchmaking
Under The Radar Artisan horology is enjoying a surprising resurgence
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical