Police and health authorities are warning families to cut up their fruit, after a copycat case in Gatton, west of Brisbane, where a rod was placed inside a punnet of strawberries at a Coles supermarket.

Key points: More cases emerge after nine-year-old boy bites into strawberry with needle in it at school, Queensland mother says

More cases emerge after nine-year-old boy bites into strawberry with needle in it at school, Queensland mother says Two brands recalled were sold in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria

Two brands recalled were sold in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria Growers say fear could devastate strawberry industry if people stopped buying the fruit

Queensland Police are investigating the entire supply chain of Berry Licious and Berry Obsession strawberries after the fourth confirmed case of needles were found embedded in strawberries in Central Queensland.

Authorities have warned consumers to dispose or return punnets from the two brands, which were sold in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Terry Lawrence said given the copycat incident it was important consumers checked their strawberries.

"Just cut them up, have a look, it's not going to destroy it. It makes it difficult because you might need to dispose of them earlier, but just cut them up for safety's sake," he said.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said her advice was to be ultra-cautious.

"It's quite safe to buy them, but just cut them up and check there isn't anything in there that shouldn't be," she said

Sorry, this video has expired QLD police urge consumers to keep checking their strawberries

The contaminated brands have come from one supplier in south-east Queensland, with two farms part of the investigation.

Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Terry Lawrence said while the Strawberry Growers Association suspected a disgruntled ex-employee was behind the tampering police "we're not agreeing with that at all at this point in time".

Strawberry tampering timeline Sunday, September 9 Man eats contaminated strawberry bought from a Woolworths north of Brisbane, is admitted to emergency with abdominal pain

Man eats contaminated strawberry bought from a Woolworths north of Brisbane, is admitted to emergency with abdominal pain Queensland Health begins investigation Tuesday, September 11 Evidence given to Queensland Health

Evidence given to Queensland Health Gladstone woman finds needle in strawberries Wednesday, September 12 Berry Obsession and Berry Licious withdrawn from Woolworths stores

Berry Obsession and Berry Licious withdrawn from Woolworths stores Police and Queensland Health issue trade recall Thursday, September 13 Queensland Health informed of Gladstone case Friday, September 14 Needles found in three more punnets

Needles found in three more punnets Donnybrook farms strawberries pulled from supermarket shelves Saturday, September 15 First NSW contamination. Needles found in strawberries at Sydney supermarket

First NSW contamination. Needles found in strawberries at Sydney supermarket $100,000 reward issued for information that leads to arrest Sunday, September 16 Needle found in strawberries purchased in Adelaide Hills Monday, September 17 Tasmania Police investigate contamination claim at a Hobart supermarket at Rosny Park

Tasmania Police investigate contamination claim at a Hobart supermarket at Rosny Park Seven brands of strawberries affected — Donnybrook Berries, Love Berry, Delightful Strawberries, Oasis brands, Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Mal's Black Label

"Our investigation is still open, we're not going to get into speculation," he said.

"We're keeping a very open mind as to where this may have occurred somewhere between the actual growing of the strawberry through to the end of the production line, including even further through to distribution and going onto the shelves."

He said police were interviewing current and former staff at the two affected farms, which could be more than 100 people.

9yo boy bit into strawberry with needle

A Gladstone mother said her nine-year-old son was lucky not to be injured after biting into a strawberry embedded with a needle, earlier this week.

Angela Stevenson purchased a Strawberry Obsession punnet from Woolworths in Kirkwood in Gladstone on Tuesday and found a needle when preparing the fruit for her youngest child.

"I was just cutting up some fruit in the morning for my 12-month-old and hit something hard and pulled it back and there was a needle embedded in it," Ms Stevenson said.

"I then realised that my nine-year-old son had taken some strawberries to school, so I rang the school and said 'I need you to stop him from eating the strawberries'.

"It wasn't five minutes later they rang back and said it was too late, he'd actually bitten into it.

"Luckily he'd pulled it back out of his mouth and told the teacher there was a needle in his strawberry."

She said it was lucky no-one was injured.

"I'm thankful I didn't just pull the head off and give it to my 12-month-old whole — sometimes I do that," she said.

"Hopefully they find who did it — it's horrible, it's sick.

"Strawberries are something I don't eat myself but I feed my kids, so it's pretty horrible that someone would do something like that."

Angela Stevenson, with her nine-year-old son Mason (left) and her two other children. ( ABC News: Rachel McGhee )

'It is revolting': victim

Hoani Hearne, from Burpengary north of Brisbane, was the first person treated in hospital after eating a strawberry with a needle inside.

Mr Hearne said he put the whole strawberry in his mouth and then felt something very wrong.

"I bit into it, felt it break, my knee-jerk reaction was to swallow, and what was left over was half of a sewing needle," he said.

Sorry, this video has expired Hoani Hearne bit into a strawberry and swallowed half a needle

Mr Hearne said he went to straight to emergency at the University of Sunshine Coast Hospital after the incident.

"They didn't see anything on the X-ray so they sent me on with my day," he said.

"Later on that evening I ended up getting pretty severe abdominal pains — I went straight to Redcliffe ER.

"From there, more X-rays and the doctor said … there could be fragments of it travelling … through my bowels, causing all the irritations and the pain."

Mr Hearne said he was disgusted someone would go to that length "to disturb the community and to disrupt the growers".

"It is revolting that someone had the intention to hurt people and was willing to go that extra mile to make sure it happened," he said.

"You go to get some strawberries from Woolworths, last thing you are expecting is to end up in hospital."

Consumers urged to throw out strawberries bought in last week after sewing needles were found inside. ( Facebook: Joshua Gane )

Mr Hearne said contacted Woolworths and posted on Facebook about the incident straight away.

"As soon as I called Woolworths they said they would be in contact with the police straight away," he said.

"I am devastated that it has happened in more than one scenario — it really disturbed me that especially children were involved — I don't think I will be eating strawberries anytime soon."

Woolworths said all stock of Berry Obsession and Berry Licious was withdrawn from sale at its stores on the morning of Wednesday, September 12.

New food laws were introduced in 2006 to make it compulsory for a companies to report any suspected cases of food tampering after contamination scares at Sizzler and Top Taste cakes.

Under the legislation, companies are required to immediately report any suspected cases of contamination by phoning a 24-hour hotline.

Companies are also required to hold on to any affected food so it can be tested.

Queensland Health said one person was assessed after consuming the strawberries. ( Facebook: Joshua Gane )

Growers say fear could devastate the industry

Strawberries Australia's industry development officer Jennifer Rowling said she was worried the tampering would hurt an industry already struggling through low costs and market pressure.

"The industry is devastated by this incident and it's distressing to think that someone's done something like this," Ms Rowling said.

"We would hope the public can see this for what it is, as an isolated incident — we hope consumers can see past this because strawberries are safe to eat."

A needle sticking out of a strawberry purchased by Ms Stevenson in Gladstone. ( Facebook: Angela Stevenson )

Ms Rowling said some growers might start taking extra safety precautions.

"Some of the bigger growers do have metal detectors in place — that might be something others will think about doing," she said.

Strawberry grower Gavin Scurr said he spent $150,000 installing three metal detectors and security cameras to ensure customers got a safe product.

Mr Scurr said he felt for the employees on the farm that was targeted, in an industry reliant on international backpackers.

"Anyone that's worked on that farm for the last couple of weeks, every single one of them, will be under suspicion," he said.

Sunshine Coast strawberry grower Adrian Schultz said if people stopped buying strawberries out of fear, it could devastate the industry.

"It's already been a very, very tough year for strawberry growers," Mr Schultz said.

"Many people have already shut down or reduced what they're growing.

"If consumers lose confidence in the product and stop buying strawberries altogether, it will have a pretty devastating effect."

Consumers should dispose or return Berry Licious and Berry Obsession punnets. ( Supplied: Queensland Strawberry Growers Association )

A grower in New South Wales has also become an unwitting victim of the attack, simply because his operation shares a similar name.

Asaf Bar Salon grows strawberries at his farm at Thirlmere in NSW under the brand Berrylicious but is more than 1,000km away from the Berry Licious-branded strawberries grown in south-east Queensland.

Now the business he has run for six years is under threat by what he calls "a massive curveball".

"It's terrible — it's terrible for my name, it's terrible for my business — I don't have any words to describe it," he said.

"Someone's taken everything I've worked for."

In Queensland, someone found guilty of deliberately contaminating food to cause public alarm or anxiety faces a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment.

This penalty can also be applied if the person interferes with food to cause members of the public to refrain from purchasing those goods.