Two more needles found in fruit at school
Two needles have been found in fruit at a Melbourne school as the contaminated fruit crisis deepens.
Junior students at Oakleigh Grammar in Melbourne’s southeast found the two needles in fruit this week.
The incident prompted the school’s principal to send a desperate letter, urging parents to check all fruits before giving them to their kids.
“I strongly request that all parents be diligent regarding this concern,” Mark Robertson, Principal of Oakleigh Grammar, wrote in a letter to parents.
“Ensure you have discussions with your children about the importance of checking their fruit and preferably cutting it up.”
Supermarket giant Woolworths has removed sewing needles from shelves amid growing fears about fruit sabotage.
“Our store teams have had daily briefings, they’ve been checking in store, we’ve had signs up notifying customers about what we’re doing and the action we’re taking,” Paul Harker, Woolworths spokesman said.
Coles continues to work with police to catch fruit saboteurs.
“We want to assure our customers we are working really closely with police with this investigation,” Coles spokeswoman Martine Alpins said.
Parliament today passed a new bill which increases the maximum jail term for food contamination to 15 years.
“We expect that this will become law on Saturday of this week,” Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter said.
However, the public has come to the aid of strawberry farmers as supportive social media campaigns gather momentum.
Customers are also buying produce directly from strawberry growers to show their support.
The latest incident comes after reports that two Melbourne families purchased Granny Smith apples before discovering needles embedded in the fruits.