Mum finds nail embedded in apple while packing children's lunches
A South Australian mum has found a nail embedded in an apple she planned on serving to her sons for lunch.
Hayley Bland, from Murray Bridge, southeast of Adelaide, was preparing lunch for her boys with pre-packaged apples bought from Woolworths on Sunday when she made the disturbing find.
“The second apple I picked up, I noticed something hard on my fingers, and as I turned the apple around I noticed the nail,” Ms Bland said.
“That could’ve easily been swallowed with him taking a bite of the apple.”
In a similar case, a mum also found a sewing needle while peeling an apple in Sydney leading to another investigating by NSW Police.
The incidents follow a spate of strawberry and other fruit contaminations across the country.
Growers and wholesalers have been forced to dump tonnes of perfectly good fruit rejected by retailers.
South Australian Produce Market’s Angelo Demasi said retailers are being cautious because “at the end of the day, the consumer’s welfare is paramount”.
SA Produce Market will have X-ray machines installed to scan all fruit before it’s distributed to stores across the state, but they’re warning consumers still need to be wary.
“Be vigilant at retail level because we think that this dog act is done at retail level,” Mr Demasi said.
Until a permanent solution is found, local growers, wholesalers, and retailers are urging South Australians to keep buying fresh fruit to support the struggling produce industry.
Wholesaler Mario Grande said shoppers should continue to clean their strawberries before eating them.
“Wash them, and cut the strawberry, cut it across so you fully understand that there is no object in the strawberry,” he said.
