Last week, sewing needles were found in punnets of strawberries purchased in five states or territories - the latest in Tasmania.

Australian police believe a disgruntled farm worker is to blame for the cases in Queensland, but said copycats may be responsible in other states.

Foodstuffs said it was confident there was no product in its stores that have been affected by the Australian action. But the company said for added reassurance it elected to halt distribution of Australian strawberries. The decision was made yesterday.

Woolworths New Zealand, the parent company of Countdown, SuperValue, Woolworths and Fresh Choice, later said it had done the same thing. As with Foodstuffs, it said none of its strawberries had been affected, but it had taken the extra measure just to be sure.

There have now been nine confirmed cases of strawberries found with needles in them and one consumer has been hospitalised, the ABC reported. The latest incidents reported were the discovery of needles in three strawberries in a single punnet.

Six brands of strawberries are now believed to be affected by needle and pin contamination, according to New South Wales police. A police statement released last week said contamination could now affect Donnybrook Berries, Love Berry, Delightful Strawberries and Oasis brands, along with Berry Obsession and Berry Licious, the two brands named earlier this week.

Meanwhile, West Australia strawberry sellers vehemently maintain their fruit is safe. They have seen sales plummet, but urged local shoppers not to avoid their produce. WA Strawberry Growers Association spokesman Jamie Michael said strawberries in WA shops and markets at this time of year were all grown in WA, so there was no risk of sabotaged fruit from Queensland being imported.

Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner has met with strawberry growers who are nervous about their future as the number of needle contamination cases grew to 10 and New Zealand food distributors remove Australian strawberries from their shelves.

Vice-president of the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association, Adrian Schultz, says what started with a single "act of commercial terrorism" has now brought a multi-million dollar industry to its knees, with jobs beyond the growers now likely to be lost.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has put up a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the strawberry saboteur. Police are yet to identify a strong lead as they investigate the strawberry industrys itinerant workforce.

And yet another investigation is underway after a metal object was found inserted into a banana in a Coles supermarket in Queensland, the state Police Commissioner has /confirm/ied.

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart confirmed the investigation into the apparent copycat act was underway. Stewart did not give details but confirmed police were also investigating a banana contamination.

However, its understood the woman who was caught sabotaging a banana at a shop in Maryborough, has mental health issues.

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