A 50-year-old former strawberry farm supervisor was charged in an Australian court on Monday for sticking sewing needles in strawberries.

The woman was arrested Sunday after a "complex" and "extensive" investigation by Australian police. She has been charged with seven counts of contaminating goods and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

"This is a major and unprecedented police investigation with a lot of complexities involved," Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said in a statement on Sunday.

"The Queensland Police Service has allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice," Wacker added.

In September, consumers in six of Australia's eight states and territories had discovered needles hidden inside strawberries.

Read more: Australia's needle-in-strawberry scare widens

A man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after consuming strawberries. In all, there were reports of a hundred incidents around the country. One incident was also reported in neighboring New Zealand.

Major Australian supermarket chains pulled all strawberries from their shelves in September

'Commercial terrorism'

The government of Queensland state, where the scare was first reported, had offered a 100,000 Australian dollar ($72,000, €62,000) reward for any information on those responsible.

Queensland Strawberry Growers Association Vice President Adrian Schultz dubbed it an act of "commercial terrorism" that severely hurt the multimillion-dollar industry.

"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," Schultz said.

Several strawberry growers had been forced to dump fruit in the peak of the season.

Strawberry Growers Association of Western Australia President Neil Handasyde said growers had received requests from major retailers and insurance companies to scan fruit for needles.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world September 2018: Needles in Australia's strawberries Australia's government launched an official probe after sewing needles were found stuck inside strawberries across the country. Reports of the tampered berries popped up in six out of the country's seven states, with officials worried about copycat cases. At least one person was taken to the hospital after eating a strawberry with a needle inside.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world January 2018: Pins found in German bread Consumers in Australia weren't the only ones to take cautious bites out of their food this year. In January, metal pins were found stuck in food from a grocery store in the southwestern German town of Offenburg. The pins were found in in several bakery items, including toast bread, as well as a salami snack.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world 2017: Poisoned baby food and extortion in Germany Parents across Germany were sent into a panic last September after authorities found baby food jars in Friedrichshafen laced with ethylene glycol — the sweet-tasting compound used in antifreeze. It can cause kidney failure and even death. A 55-year-old man threatened to poison more food in German supermarkets if he didn't receive €10 million ($12 million). He was later arrested and confessed.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world 2016: Deadly sweets in Pakistan More than 30 people died in the Punjab province of Pakistan after eating laddu, a baked sweet, that had been purposely poisoned. The brother of the sweet shop owner later admitted to police that he'd mixed a potent pesticide into the sweets after a family argument. More than 70 people were affected by the poisoned treats.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world 2003: The 'Aquabomber' strikes in Italy Supermarkets in Italy were on high alert for several months in 2003 over contaminated water bottles. Bleach and acetone was injected into the tops of water bottles using a syringe. Police at the time believed that the unknown suspect or suspects belonged to radical anti-capitalist or environmentalist groups. Over a dozen people became sick after drinking the tainted water.

Food tampering scandals that shocked the world 1982: The Tylenol murders It was the case that started it all — seven people in the US city of Chicago died after taking Tylenol-branded pain relief pills that had been laced with potassium cyanide. No one was ever charged for the deaths and the case remains unsolved. The deaths prompted pharmaceutical companies to develop packaging that is tamper-resistant. Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier



shs/jm (AFP, dpa)

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