Needle sabotage – now it’s mangoes

NSW Police said a Coles customer who bought a mango from a shop in West Gosford, north of Sydney, a few days ago had discovered a needle embedded inside.

Police said the customer had the mango for two days before finding the needle while cutting it up.

“Police have seized the needle for forensic examination,” police said.

“No persons were injured.”

It came as supermarket Woolworths had withdrawn sewing needles from its shelves nationally following the fruit tampering crisis.

The national strawberry industry is on its knees as a result of the needle tampering.

On the eve of the annual harvest, and as Katherine is one of the biggest mango producers in the country, this sort of publicity couldn’t come at a worst time.

Coles said it had no plans to pull sewing needles from its shelves, saying it was instead focused on thoroughly inspecting strawberries before they arrived at the nation’s supermarkets.

More than 100 reports of tampered fruit are being investigated by police across the country, most which are fake cases.