Melbourne girl swallows needle allegedly hidden in Woolworths apple
A 14-year-old Melbourne girl is undergoing x-rays after swallowing what she believes was part of a needle in a bag of apples from Woolworths.
Shelby Pewhairangi was on Tuesday eating her lunchtime snack, purchased from Hoppers Crossing Woolworths, when she felt a sudden stabbing pain.
Her friend pointed out that a needle was hanging from her mouth, she told 7News.
The needle was broken and Pewhairangi is now in hospital undergoing x-rays to locate the missing half.
“The doctor told us the 24 hours after the accident were crucial,” the girl’s mother Seimone said.
Woolworths said it is investigating the case. “We’ve seen the customer’s report and we’re looking into the matter in line with established procedures,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.
“We stand ready to assist authorities in any way we can.
“While this appears to be an isolated case, we’ve conducted precautionary checks on our stock in the store and found no issues.”
More than 180 cases of needles in fruit reported since the nationwide contamination crisis emerged in September 2018.
In response to the scare, the Australian government in 2018 increased the maximum jail term for anyone convicted of contaminating foodstuffs from 10 years to 15 years.