Strawberry lovers should be very careful when eating their favorite fruit, as there have been cases of pins and needles being found inside strawberries in Queensland.
Authorities of the Australian state have launched the manhunt for the culprit behind the dangerous scheme, offering a reward to anyone who can provide information to help the search.
Strawberries Found With Pins And Needles
People buying strawberries, especially those from Queensland, Australia, are highly urged to slice the fruits before eating them, instead of biting into the strawberries or popping them whole into the mouth. This is because some strawberries sold in the state have been found to have pins and needles inside them.
Six brands have been identified to have some strawberries contaminated with the sharp objects. A recall order has been issued to strawberries sold by Berry Obsession, Berry Licious, and Donnybrook Berries in Queensland. It is now also believed that the brands Love Berry, Delightful Strawberries, and Oasis in neighboring New South Wales may also be affected, though it appears that a copycat is behind the pins and needles for these strawberries.
The government of Queensland is now offering A$100,000, or about $72,000, to people who can provide information on who has been inserting the pins and needles into the strawberries.
"Whoever is behind this is not just putting families at risk across Queensland and the rest of Australia - they are putting an entire industry at risk," said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "How could any right-minded person want to put a baby or a child or anybody's health at risk by doing such a dreadful act?"
"I would urge anyone with information that may be relevant to this incident in any way to contact police as soon as possible," Palaszczuk added.
Dangerous Strawberries
Strawberries are turning out to be dangerous fruits, even before the news of the pins and needles being discovered inside them in Australia. This is because, for the third straight year, strawberries topped the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen 2018 list, which ranks fruits and vegetables on which ones have the most pesticides.
According to the EWG, one-third of all conventional strawberry samples tested positive for at least 10 pesticides. One sample of strawberries, in fact, was found to contain 22 different pesticides. Alarmingly, the study discovered that nearly 70 percent of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables contained traces of pesticides.
Strawberries were also at the top of the Dirty Dozen 2017 list, repeating from 2016 when it took the top spot from apples. Apple headed the rankings for five straight years before then.
