A second Riverina child has made the shock discovery of a needle in a strawberry they took to school.
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This time the contaminated fruit was purchased in Wagga.
Police and a Department of Education spokesman on Wednesday confirmed a Wagga Public School student “preparing to eat a strawberry, followed the precaution of breaking the fruit before eating it” and found the sewing tool inside.
It is the second incident reported across the Riverina this week, following a close call at Yanco Public School on Tuesday.
NSW Police said officers were continuing to investigate the nightmare sabotage of fruit across the state, with copycat criminals suspected to be involved in the harrowing discoveries.
A number of isolated incidents have involved a banana and apple, according to authorities.
Needles and pins have been found in more than 20 separate cases across NSW, following the initial announcement strawberries had been contaminated in Queensland.
The spokesman said teachers, parents and police had been notified, following the discovery and parents had been urged to cut up any fruit they were giving their children to eat.
Despite the growing number of incidents across the state and rising concerns in the Riverina, strawberry farmers and independent fruit stores across Wagga have plead for residents to maintain perspective.
Related:
More than 100 reports of tampered fruit are now being investigated across the country, many of which are thought to be fake or copycat cases, according to Fairfax Media.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said the "idiot" who first sabotaged strawberries, setting off the chain of events, had risked the livelihoods of farmers and put fear in the hearts of parents across the country.
The Queensland and NSW governments are offering a reward to catch the culprits.
At a conference, Mr Morrison said he wanted the maximum penalty for food contamination increased from 10 to 15 years in prison.
This would be in line with child pornography and terror financing offences.
The culpability threshold would also be lowered from intending to cause anxiety or harm, to simply engaging in a reckless act.
Additionally, anyone who piggy-backs off such a crisis by engaging in a reckless hoax would also face 10 years behind bars.
The offence would extend to people who provide false reports or make jokes in poor taste on Facebook.