A woman has been charged with making a false complaint after reporting finding a needle in a strawberry bought at a Timaru supermarket.
Detective Inspector Corrie Parnell said the 28-year-old woman was due to appear in Timaru District Court next month.
"It’s disappointing that we’ve had to take this action, but this demonstrates that Police and MPI's New Zealand Food Safety take these matters seriously.
"It also shows that, where appropriate, anyone making false reports in matters like this will be held to account."
The complaint yesterday prompted Foodstuffs NZ to pull strawberries from shelves at Pak'nSave Timaru and contact MPI and police.
