A mother is distraught after her 11-year-old son found pins inside the strawberries they bought from a store near the area they live in Adelaide Hills, Australia last September 24. Authorities believe it is a case of food tampering, and police are now investigating the matter.
They uploaded videos and photos on social media as proof of the incident. Per the social media post, the strawberries were from a company that labelled their product “Berry Indulgence.” While it looks normal on the outside, the mother of the boy, identified as Anne Lentakis, showed to people that it was dangerously deceiving. The videos showed her cutting the strawberries open and wedged right in the middle were tiny pins. She posted the photos and videos on the Facebook group called Adelaide Hills Alerts.
The mother also shared in the comments that her son saw a hole in the bottom of the strawberries, so before he could eat it, they decided to open it up. Of the four strawberries they cut, three had pins. They no longer checked the other strawberries in the packaging because they already returned it to the store where they bought it.
Lentakis captioned the post with the words “Multiple pins found in Strawberries purchased in Sterling this afternoon.” She added that she already reported what they found to the store where they bought it. The staff immediately took action by removing the concerned products from the shelves. When asked which store she bought it from, she declined to name the establishment because the incident could ruin their reputation.
Some commented on the post of Lentakis. One reads, “Cannot believe this is still happening,” while another asked, “What the F is wrong with people?”
Lentakis also shared in the comments that police officials have been made aware of the incident. Police revealed that they already tracked the company that sells these strawberries in a strawberry farm in Queensland. However, it is unclear if they have given any explanation about the tiny pins found inside the strawberries. Police did not say if the company where the strawberries originated from will face any charges.
Police asked the public to be more watchful when purchasing such items from groceries and stores. They also reiterated that contaminating or tampering with food is “a serious offence” although the possible punishment is still unknown.
Just recently, a woman also purchased strawberries and had to be given medical attention after eating a second strawberry with a pin inside. Last year, during the same month, another woman bit into a strawberry that had a needle inside. The woman was likewise taken to the hospital because of the incident. Authorities are trying to link if the most recent incident is related, in any way, to the past incidents.
