Sydney mother finds needle in apple sold at Woolworths

Another fruit sold at supermarkets has been reportedly found with a needle inside. NSW Police are investigating a mother’s claim that an apple she was peeling had a sewing needle inserted in it.

A Kellyville Ridge mother told 7 News on Tuesday that she bought a six-pack of Pink Lady apples from a Woolworths at The Ponds in Sydney’s northwest. As she was peeling them, she came across something immovable that was lodged inside one of the fruits. What she first thought was a stem was actually a needle inserted in. She immediately called police.

“I just thought, ‘wow, this can’t possibly be happening, not in apples,’” she told the news network. “I’ve seen the news about strawberries and I’ve been vigilant in cutting those up for the girls, but to see this in an apple… I actually thought these were safe.

“My kids just grab them and bite into apples normally.”

A Woolworths spokesman said they have been informed of the incident. “The details have been referred to the authorities leading the response to this matter and we’ll consult with them on next steps,” he told AAP in a statement.

The brand of apples in question is still on Woolworths shelves, but, according to 7 News, the supermarket giant has been advised by the NSW Police not to take them off yet.

This follows just a few days after the strawberry contamination scare has spread to all Australian states. There have so far been 20 incidents where needles were found inserted inside punnets of strawberries in NSW alone.

A similar incident has also occurred in Queensland involving a different fruit. On Monday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk offered a $100,000 reward for information that would lead to the capture of the person or persons responsible for the “metal object” found in a banana sold in a local supermarket. Maryborough police have been investigating an alleged contamination of a banana incident, which they believed was isolated.