Australia's strawberry needle scare spurs proposal for 15-year jail term

Published on 19 Sep 2018 7:13:34 PM

Australia plans to increase the maximum jail term to 15 years for anyone convicted of contaminating foodstuffs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as a scare over needles found in strawberries and other fruits gripped the country. Nobody has sustained serious injury yet, and a senior Australian minister said many of the cases would turn out to be hoaxes. But with demand plunging, strawberry farmers have been forced to dump produce, casting a shadow over an industry worth A$160 million.